Have you taken a pet to the pound? Why wouldn't you go to the SPCA??

Question

I went to the local dog pound in my county a few days ago and was pretty happy to see that most of the dogs were being adopted which means most would not get put to sleep but I was so upset when I saw all of the cats and kittens, there were so many and it made me upset to think that people bring animals there instead of a no kill shelter or SPCA. I know some people are unaware that they get put to sleep, but I think they are told when they leave the pet there. So what gives? Do people just not care that they will be killed? Sorry I guess this is somewhat of a vent/question...Please no immature answers to my question...

Answer 1

Well, you've got to think of convience.

If you've got to give an animal away, as sad as it is, you may not have a SPCA/no kill shelter close to you to take the animal to.

On top of that, no kill shelters don't ALWAYS have space, oddly enough. If they don't kill animals but some don't get adopted- well, they'll be overcrowded.

Sometimes, it isn't as simple as 'not caring' about the animal being killed. Sometimes it can't be helped.

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Maybe people don't have the internet, or don't want people coming around their house to take the animal, or maybe they even tried it and no-one wanted the animal!

There's not no excuse.

Yes, it is better to take them to a no-kill shelter, but they are kind of limited, easily over crowded, and far and few between. It isn't as simple as just taking them to a no kill shelter or even advertising the animal elsewhere.

Answer 2

My town doesn't have a no-kill shelter.  The local humane society does euthanize, and that's really the only option around here.  You'd have to drive almost 100 miles to get to a no-kill shelter, and they're over crowded, and often can't take more animals.

It would be great if it were possible to have no-kill shelters that could take in ever abandoned animal, but the sad truth is that there are just too many out there.  And with people who don't bother (or refuse) to spay/neuter their animals, there are more out their all the time.  It comes down to a simple matter of too many animals and not enough space/homes for them.

Answer 3

Although I'm not sure what your question is, I would like to comment:

Unless you live in a large city, most people who have dogs, keep them and have them fixed. Those who don't have their dogs fixed, usually breed and sell them.

However, look how many stray cats you see! There are thousands more stray cats than dogs! My opinion is that not nearly as many people fix their cats as dogs, so the unfortunate fact is that our pet shelters are filled to the brim with domestic and stray cats.

The good news is that most of our communities are not overrun with mice and rats -- thanks largely to our overpopulated cats!!

Answer 4

Just because you bring your pet to SPCA doesn't mean that they want move them to a animal control (a kill shelter). Same go's with animal control they move pets around all the time depending on space and breed. I've seen it happen...sorry

Answer 5

I would never take a pet to the pound, especially the one in my county! Here as soon as the animal is dropped off its put to sleep a few days later, if not that day! Some of the counties here also sell the animals to research and the owners are not told this when they drop their animals off there. If people would just get their animals fixed this wouldn't be a problem.  

Answer 6

Yeah. I took a dog to the pound once... And I knew she was more than likely going to be put down. However, I had very good reason for this. She was a Black lab, border collie mix. We got her from a foster parent, who saw her at the pound and it was her last day there before they were going to put her down. She was such a great dog at first. Very calm when necessary, loved going to the dog park. She even loved to hold my hand, she would just sit there for hours with her paw in my hand. However, the last actual home she had, she was abused, so if she wasn't getting attention, she thought she was in trouble or was going to get hurt. Well, her anxiety just increased over time, and she started getting really aggresive towards me and by boyfriend. The last straw is when she bit me, just because I went to pet her. So, we took her to the pound because we didn't want to put any family in danger by finding her a home.

Answer 7

i would never ever take a pet to the pound! Especially if it wasn't a no-kill shelter!

Answer 8

Every time someone abandons an animal, an animal dies. Even if you bring your particular pet to a no-kill shelter, that means that shelter will have to turn another one away. That pet will end up at a 'kill' shelter and may be put down.

Regardless of where you bring an individual animal, animals are dying. The need to euthanize homeless animals isn't the shelter's fault - it's the owner's fault. If you don't want your animal to die, don't abandon it.

Yes, there are situations that definitely warrant giving up a pet - serious illness, loosing your home, etc. However, if those were the ONLY animals that ended up in shelters, there wouldn't be so many killed each day. The people causing the problems are the ones who allow their cats to reproduce freely, the ones who buy pets for their kids and give them up when the kids get sick of them, the ones who give up on their dogs instead of correcting minor behavioral problems.

So really, enough with the hate for 'kill' shelters! They're doing the best they can, but they have limited space and finances. If a pet is never going to be adopted, the best thing they can do is put some animals down to give others a chance.