For Andrea B. Hodges, falling in love with brother kittens wasn’t on her to-do list the day she welcomed Arthur and Wallace into her family.
After what was supposed to be a quick trip to her local PetSmart to pick up supplies for her dog Katherine and cat Isabelle, Andrea decided to check out the offsite adoption event that was being held by a local shelter. She saw kittens and cats of all ages, colors and sizes, but it was a pair of cuddling black and white kittens that caught her eye. “Once I saw them grooming each other and taking care of one another, I knew I had to have them both,” Hodges said.
Though Andrea had no intentions on coming home with two new kittens, she couldn’t resist the brother cats and wanted to give them a new home and family. She decided to go ahead and adopt the pair, and took them home that day. Since the adoption, she couldn’t imagine her life without Arthur and Wallace.
Though Andrea’s decision was a bit impulsive, by adopting those two cats she made a difference. Not only is she going to provide a great home for two little cats, she made room at that shelter for two new animals in need of adoption.
Animal shelters across the country are fighting an ongoing battle. Every year between six and eight million cats and dogs make their way into U.S. shelters. These shelters often operate at full capacity and face a number of difficulties on a daily basis.
To say the least, there is a severe problem with pet overpopulation. According to the Michigan Humane Society, of the six to eight million dogs and cats that enter shelters around the country, only three to four million are adopted and the other three to four million are euthanized do to health problems, socialization problems, or overpopulation.
In Michigan, most local shelters operate at full to nearly full capacity. Due to the overload and operating at such a capacity, centers like The Dearborn Animal Shelter offer discounted adoption fees for cats, and specials on adopting more than one. While Michigan isn’t the only state suffering from this problem, shelters here are proactive in getting it under control. Curing the problem of the pet population can’t be done overnight, but the solution does requires efforts from a variety of organizations and the general public.
Sterilization of all cats and dogs that are companion animals is one step in the right direction, but adopting a pet from your local shelter is the greatest contribution one could make to help lessen this problem. According the Michigan Humane Society Website, only 10 to 20 percent of companion animals are acquired from shelters, and unfortunately, there is a stigma associated with adopting from a shelter that deters many potential families. Many people often stereotype shelter animals as cast-offs from previous families, as mutts, or mixed-breed animals. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Most animals arrive at shelters due to no fault of their own. Reasons such as divorce, financial hardships, illness and death are often why animals end up for adoption. The MHS also estimates that 25 to 35 percent of the animals they are sheltering are purebreds. For those who are seeking a purebred animal, searching the local shelters can significantly reduce the high price tag associated with obtaining an animal from a breeder.
By choosing to adopt from a shelter, as apposed to a pet store, breeder or taking in a stray, you are not only guaranteeing yourself a healthy, well socialized pet, but you are also saving two lives; the life of the animal you a taking in, and the life of the animal who will take that spot in the shelter. Unfortunately space is limited and every adoption counts.
Pet adoption also benefits everyone. Morally and financially it is every potential pet owner’s most sensible choice. It gives people the chance to make a difference in the homelessness and overpopulation problem and is essentially morally responsible.
For those people who don’t feel comfortable visiting a shelter, many pet supply stores host weekly pet adoptions. Wesley Kitchen, manager of a Petco store in Dearborn Heights offers adoption clinics every Saturday of the month. “Volunteers set up right in our store every week. The program is very successful. Some weeks are better than others, but we have developed loyal visitors,” he said.
These offsite programs provided excellent exposure for local shelters and are great ways to increase pet adoption. While adopting a pet is a great way to not only save a life and better your own, it is important to be prepared and understand the responsibilities that come along with owning a pet. Dr. Shera Dickie, DVM at St. Julian’s Cat Care in Dearborn Michigan warns, “We often have pet owners anonymously dropping off cats and dogs at our front door because they cannot handle the responsibly that comes with having a pet. We want to make sure the homes we find for these pet will last forever.” “It is important to consider a cat or dog’s age, personality, and appearance before looking into adopting a new pet,” she says.
With the number of homeless pets at such a high number, and minimally declining, it is hard to predict the future of this crisis. The Humane Society of the United States does report that more than 70 percent of owned dogs and 84 percent of owned cats are spayed or neutered. While it’s not 100 percent, these numbers are high. There is room for improvement however on the percent of animals adopted from shelters. Only 16 percent of owned dogs and 15 percent of cats were adopted from animal’s shelters in 2005-2006 according to the American Pet Products Manufactures Association. These statistics are low in relation to the millions of pets still waiting for a home.
Though 39 percent of the population already owns a dog and 34 percent already owns a cat, according to APPMA, it is important to keep in mind the millions of animals waiting for a loving home next time you are seeking a new companion or whether it is your first time. We can all make a difference somehow. If not by opening your home, you can always make a donation to your local shelter, or help to rid your neighborhood of stray animals. Everybody can chip in and fight to reduce the pet population.
References
Dr. Shera Dickie, DMV, St. Julian’s Cat Care, Dearborn Michigan
Wesley Kitchen, Manager, Petco, Dearborn Heights Michigan
Andrea Hodges, Pet Owner/Co-Worker
www.hsus.org
www.michiganhumane.org
www.appma.org
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
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