Though we do not realize many animals have a life as this dog has had. Studies show that more animals in the United States are being euthanized every day due to the fact of overpopulation of animals, serious injury or diseases, puppy mills and natural disasters. According to the Humane Society of the United States, they estimated that in 2013, animal shelters care for about six to eight million dogs and cats every year, of this approximately three to four million are euthanized (Pet Overpopulation). This stated would mean that about one animal every eight seconds is euthanized a day. There is no central data reporting agencies of animal shelters to keep track of how many animals are put down so the numbers are estimated. Either way that is too many pets being put down because of overpopulation, serious injury or diseases, puppy mills and/ or natural disasters. Many of those pets are taken to shelters to have little to no hope of getting a home and are being put to sleep as the shelter is not a no kill shelter. There is not an exact number stated how many no kill shelters there are but by looking online or by calling the shelter they are obligated to state whether they are a no kill shelter or not as stated by adoption group owner Suzanne Anderson in an interview. Overpopulation threatens the lives of companion animals more than any infectious disease and results from a combination of too many pets for the number of suitable homes and unprepared pet owners, states Dr. Jeanette O’Quin, who is the current president of the Association of Shelter Veterinarians (Whitcomb). No one knows how many dogs and cats are in the United States, but many people debate whether our country suffers from pet overpopulation. Betsy... ... middle of paper ... ...s." 29 August 2013. Global Animal All About Animals, from Pets to Wildlife. 19 April 2014 . "Pet Overpopulation." 2012. American Humane Association. 5 April 2014 . Peters, Sharon L. "Dogs Show Fear Even Years after Resue." USA Today 11 October 2011. "Puppy Mill FAQ." 2014. ASPCA. 19 April 2014 . Tapia, Nancy. Best of Buddies Elizabeth Teague. 22 June 2013. Tasker, Louisa. Methods for the euthanasia of dogs and cats: comparison and recommendations. London: World Society for the Protection of Animals, n.d. Whitcomb, Rachael. "Understanding Pet Overpopulation." DVM: The Newsmagazine of Veterinary Medicine (2010): 30-32.
One goal of euthanasia is to limit pain and suffering of animals, in some circumstances there is unnecessary pain and extreme suffering by prolonging your pet’s life. In the blog, “Is It Ethical to Euthanize Your Dog?” (2011), by Elliot D. Cohen, Ph.D, a few reasons are given for euthanasia, even among his heavy
Bernards, Neal, Ed. (1989). Euthanasia: Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints Series, Series Eds. David L. Bender and Bruno Leone. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press.
I’ve always felt that animals are the purest spirits in the world. They don’t fake or hide their feelings, and they are the most loyal creatures on Earth and somehow we humans think we’re smarter. I chose this topic about the canine because, some of these canines risk their life’s to protect dog’s best friend.
Zoos. Mercy for Animals, A voice for the rights of all animals. 4th Sept 2011
Sadly this happens to various animals each year that are brought to Kill Shelters. The ASPCA has stated that three to four million animals are euthanized in shelters in the United States. An absolutely shocking 60% of all animals that belong to shelters(McLellan). Many of these animals that are irrationally killed are completely worthy of adoption. The main reason for all these senseless killings is overpopulation.
While some people may believe that euthanizing animals is important and can protect people from dangerous animals or that it puts animals out of pain; I strongly encourage them to look at the other side of the argument. Understanding that many people abuse euthanizing for their own convenience is just one of the reasons we should stop euthanizing. Among other reasons is that people need to understand that euthanizing can immensely hurt a population of species by killing too many too soon. Above all, letting nature take it's course by allowing animals to die when it's their time is why we should not allow humans to euthanize. We should not decide animals fate for them. Therefore, I encourage that we take a stand against euthanasia. Together, we can stop this cruel act against
How would you feel if someone took away your ability to live and have a future? You wouldn't have the opportunity to crawl, take your first step, have your first kiss, or experience those butterflies in your stomach at the sight of first love. Millions of special moments, a life, shredded to pieces. This is essentially what abortion does. Abortion is not the answer in the case of an unplanned pregnancy and needs to be stopped! First of all, abortion is a type of unnecessary murder that occurs in inhumane ways and cannot be tolerated. Moreover, there are alternatives to abortion and many families who are looking to adopt. Lastly, the side effects of abortion can cause life threatening health risks to the mother. Excuses will always be made, but the bottom line is that abortion is not acceptable and should be stopped.
Have you ever wondered how much it costs to have and maintain a pet? Burkhard Bilger, the author of “The Last Meow”, explains how Americans spend a lot of money on their pets and that people's “love affair” with their pets has gotten out of control. An observation I have made is that in many movies dogs are treated very well. When I was younger, I watched a movie called Bratz and one character would always have her dog inside a dog purse and they would even get manicures and pedicures together. The dog always had shiny clothes on and it was always very clean. Therefore, I agree with Bilger's argument that Americans “love affair” with their pets has gotten out of control.
The lack of awareness programs attributes to animal hoarding greatly. The Robinson Rescue is an organization that “educate[s] pet owners about the importance of spay/neuter as a means of ending pet overpopulation.” ( ). This organization shows children how they should think of animals so that they do not abuse their animals like a case in which the defendants argued “that pets are classified as personal property…” and that they have feelings too (Donaghey 2011) (Gunnarson). Few people realize that 354 animals are eutha...
This site gives a lot of pertinent information that pertains to local and national happenings as far as pet overpopulation goes. They have researched many sites and brought the info into their own.
DeLeeuw, Jamie L. Animal Shelter Dogs: Factors Predicting Adoption Versus Euthanasia. (2010): n. page. Web. 14 Mar. 2014. .
Robert Matz; Daniel P. Sudmasy; Edward D. Pallegrino. "Euthanasia: Morals and Ethics." Archives of Internal Medicine 1999: p1815 Aug. 9, 1999 .
"The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Consensus Development Program: The Health Benefits of Pets." NIH Consensus Development Program. Web. 30 Oct. 2011.
There are many different types of euthanasia animal shelters use to put down animals. The most popular type of euthanasia called intravenous injection, which is a poison containing sodium pentobarbital. This poison is injected in the heart or leg without any pain killers. The animal is put to sleep and in some cases they wake up when they feel the pain and start to struggle and fight the vet. More than one injection may be needed based on the weight of the animal. This process is also used for animals that are euthanized due to disease or injures. Another process is called the gas chamber. The animal is put into these gas chambers and “will usually scream and cry until they fall asleep” (Chrysta). Carbon dioxide is sent out and the animal will die in about twenty minutes. Many animal shelters believe this is an inhumane way of killing the animals and are against it. But there are still animal shelters in the United States that still use this method. Displacement of the neck or known as cervical dislocation is another f...