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If Everyone Read This, The Shelters Would Be Empty

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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