PETA Argumentative Essay

In 2011, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) euthanized the majority of dogs and cats that had been taken into its shelter. Of the 760 dogs taken into the shelter, 713 of them were killed, 19 were adopted and 36 were transferred to other shelters. Of the 1,211 cats taken into the shelter, 1,198 were euthanized, five were adopted, and eight were transferred to other shelters. Of the 58 other animals, such as rabbits, the PETA shelter had taken in, 54 of them were killed. Yet, this is not an isolated incident. Although PETA is often the first to rescue pets when tragic events take place, they kill 84 percent of animals within 24 hours of their arrival (McWilliams). According to PETA spokesperson Amanda Schinke, who proceeded to state that “euthanasia is a product of love for animals who have no one to love them.” Schinke also stated that “sometimes [animals] need the comfort of being put out of their misery -- a painless release from a world in which they were abused and unwanted” (McWilliams).
With claims that PETA kills animals on the rise, PETA claims that it does not run a traditional shelter, and that it only euthanizes animals that are too sick or injured to continue their lives. Yet, in November of 2014, it was reported that PETA employees took a family’s Chihuahua without a

Municipal Animal Shelters are ran by a city, country, or other public entity whose primary job is to pick up stray and nuisance animals and reunite lost animals with their owners. They are funded by taxpayer dollars and must take in any unwanted animal that is brought in (“Animal Shelters…”). However, private animal shelters are ran by non-profit agencies (Duggan). Their primary job is to find homes for the animals brought in and they are funded by private donations (Duggan; “Animal Shelters…”). Municipal and private animal shelters can be distinguished as either a no-kill shelter or a kill