Republished/The Dodo.com/
Christian Cotroneo (12/30/2015)
For anyone who has ever dropped off a pet at a local shelter, it's mostly a passing hell.
There's some paperwork. Probably some tears. Occasionally, people from a local animal welfare group will camp out front, hoping to change your mind.
No shelter, of course, can refuse an animal. But they can euthanize them - and often do, in a matter of days. Those days can be some of the most stressful, confusing and sad days of a dog's life.
Do people who drop their pets off at high-intake shelters really know what they are doing? If they knew just what happens to dogs after their owners walk out the door, shelters might be a lot more empty.
If you can no longer keep your pet and want to find him a good home, dumping him at a shelter may not be your best option. Every year, around 1.2 million dogs are put down at shelters across the U.S.
It's simply a matter of volume.
Zach Skow, founder of California-based rescue Marley's Mutts can't say it loudly enough: "The vast majority of dogs don't make it out alive."
They are up against the greatest odds. No dog deserves to end up with the cards stacked against him - especially one who was once cherished as a family member and stalwart companion.
Seniors make up the bulk of the 1.2 million dogs put down at shelters every year in the U.S. Many people looking to adopt a dog follow the same tired mantra: the younger, the better.
Never mind the fact that senior shelter dogs have proven time and again to have so much love to give.
Our appreciation to The Dodo, a steadfast champion of animal welfare.
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