For the love of Animals

[TheOriginalName]

To all,

I am an animal person. I am a particular fan of cats and dog. I personally have two lovely 18 month old cats who i love dearly. Growing up though i had dogs, cats, birds, mice and fish.
I do volunteer work for RSPCA (Royal Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) in Victoria (Australia).

The shelter statistics have just been released for 06-07 and i have just spent the last 10 minutes attempting to bring down my blood pressure.

http://www.rspcavic.org/campaigns_news/images/Annual Statistics for 2006-2007_public.pdf

On the positive side - less cats and dogs have been recieved this year and over half the dogs recieved nationally have been either reclaimed or rehomed (yea). This is a really positive thing.

On the negative side - Only 3% of cats were reclaimed. And only 30% were rehomed.

This is what has gotten my blood boiling. Almost 60% of cats who were admitted were Euthanased because they could not find new homes.

IF you have a cat and are not a breader GET IT DESEXED!!
This is the solution. Less animals capable of reproducing the less that will turn up in animal selters.
Cats are stunning animals - they are independent but yet they are loyal. They do not deserve to end up at an animal shelter - they deserve to be loved.

If you are an animal owner make sure you have the following done:

1. Microchiping - A small little electronic tag inserted under the animals skin on the neck. It contains all your contact details so if your loved one gets lost they can track you down.
2. Desexing - This is madatory. Get them fixed. It does not change their personality, they will still be the same active cat\dog when it's done - and best of all it will avoid unwanted breeding and reduce the strain on animal shelters world wide.

Thanks for reading my rant.......

 

[Gordon Nore]

Rant away, 'original'!

My wife is a foster parent for two different dog rescues. One of the rescues is for pugs, and she is on the board and handles adoptions. Between puppy mills, backyard breeders, and well-meaning-but-ill-informed buyers, we've seen a lot of sadness. Dogs are not appropriate as gifts, toys, or accessories. When you adopt an animal, you're making a huge personal and financial responsibility.

People wanting to adopt should research carefully, spay or neuter, make regular vet visits, and most of all make sure that their home is suitable for an animal.

 

[MBuzzy]

I have a zoo at home...so I sympathize. Right now, my wife and I have two cats, two guinea pigs, a tank full of fish and two horses. So it goes without saying that we're animal lovers.

Actually, our kitten is going in to be spayed tomorrow morning. Our older cat IS NOT enjoyed being deprived of food for the night.

In fact, there she is now trying to get into the cupboard....

 

[Live True]

rant away...Animal lover here too. We have three cats, a tank full of fish, and we try to create a welcoming habitat for the many wild birds and critters that wonder through our property. I'm also working on my husband to get a puppy and some chickens.

All our cats are spayed, including our old guy who we inherited from my mother in law. We thought he was on his last legs when we got him, because he was so underweight and lethargic. He also didn't know how to play. Well, he's gained back weight, runs around the house, and has learned how to play! At a grand old 21 years of age, he's our little old man in the house!

Just goes to show what some love and a good home can do for an animal (and for us!)

 

[SFC JeffJ]

I used to be an animal control officer. I could not begin to estimate the number of cats and dogs that I helped put down in the time I was doing that job. It's ultimately why I ended up leaving that job.

Also, even if you don't plan on boarding your dog, get the parvo vaccination. If your dog ever gets away from you and picked up by the pound, you'll be happy you did.

Jeff

 

[exile]

Great posts, everyone.

Every cat and dog I've had as an adult has been from shelters or was a stray who decided s/he liked the catering at my place. We routinely ship closetfuls of stuff to Cat Welfare to help keep them funded, and if I ever get the time, my 10-year old son and I hope to volunteer at their shelter as part time `cat amusers'; the animals apparently love getting even a bit of extra attention. We currently have three wonderful cats, and it is heartbreaking—no exaggeration—to think of all the millions of wonderful, curious, engaging, funny animals like them who are killed—humanely, at shelters, but often brutally in the rest of this mostly uncaring world—who could be decorating people's hearth rugs in front of warm fireplaces... ... it really is true: neutering your pet is really an act of wisdom and kindness. I'm amazed that so many people don't do it...

...and if people want a cat or dog for a pet, there isn't any need for pet stores; the animals at Humane Society and Cat Welfare shelters are lovely creatures.

 

[Kacey]

My current dog was a shelter puppy; the shelter I got him from microchipped him as part of the adoption. If you're not going to get a dog from a reputable breeder, then shelters are the way to go - and the shelters in the US all (that I'm aware of) spay/neuter dogs and cats as part of the adoption process. I will never buy a dog from a pet shop.

 

[tellner]

Preach it, Brother!

We're animal lovers, too. Two dogs, two cats, one Aussie Carpet Python and currently a rat that the snake hasn't eaten. The dogs and cats are fixed. We're going to breed the snake because every one born in captivity is one less taken from the wild.

But do you know, I don't regret that someone else didn't spay or neuter. If a stray hadn't turned up (pregnant) in our Silat Guru's garage during class one Saturday we never would have gotten our first dog or experienced all the joy that they bring. And if a kitten hadn't gotten lost, probably abandoned and walked into my apartment years ago I might never have had a pet. In an ideal world they never would have been born. But for purely selfish reasons I'm glad that someone was irresponsible. The Talmud says "Do not be too harsh on (sexual) sin. If our ancestors hadn't sinned we never would have been born."

I would like to meet the first owner of our younger dog. The son of a ***** drove up to the 7-11 next to Reed College, opened the door and shoved him out into the cold and rain. Oh yes, I would really like to meet him and give him his first Silat lesson absolutely free. People who abandon pets are lower than whale dung.

 

[TheOriginalName]

Just wanted to say thanks for all the messages of support - they are truely heart warming.