Animal Euthanizations In The United States

There is an overwhelming amount of pet euthanizations in the United States each year. While these numbers are gradually declining, there is still a superfluous amount of animals who are put to death in order for animal shelters to save resources and space. The aid of having no-kill animal shelters in communities is a topic that has been debated for years. The absence of a no-kill animal shelters in Caldwell County is astounding, and quite frankly, a problem that has endured for too long. However, this decline in animal euthanization raises an additional question. What do we do with the overpopulation of animals? How do we thwart the euthanization of millions of animals without inducing a substantial increase in stray pets? Defining the problem
Pet owners’ refusal to get their pets spayed and neutered is leading to overpopulation of cats and dogs and the inevitable euthanization of millions of animals each year. There are many myths and misconceptions about spaying and neutering your pets and the public needs to be properly educated on the ramifications of not doing such. According to the ASPCA website, only 10% of the animals received by shelters have been spayed or neutered, which is an astonishing statistic. This is one of the main causes of overpopulation in animal shelters and the consequent euthanization of approximately 2.7 million animals each year in the United States. Contrary to popular belief, there are actually many benefits to spaying and neutering besides just saving the lives of animals. For example, many people believe that the cost of spaying and neutering outweighs the benefits when in fact, the cost is less than raising a litter of kittens for an entire year (“Pet
“Not only is a no-kill shelter important, but providing low-cost solutions to spay/neuter pets. I talk with numerous owners who are grateful to hear of the spay/neuter clinics organized by Caldwell Humane Society and Angels for Animals which make being a responsible owner affordable,” states Wilcox in an email interview. “Animals should be born into homes of owners that have a plan for the rest of their life. There are many different reasons expressed by owners for allowing their animal to have babies. Many are unaware that spaying or neutering their pet is something that can be achieved with little effort and money. As the Animal Control numbers indicate, there are more animals born than can be adopted by responsible owners,” she explains. Spaying and neutering is an ideal resolution in terms of animal overpopulation in our county and, ultimately, will improve Caldwell County in more ways than one. Wilcox highlights some of these benefits. “Our children need to learn that life isn't to be thrown away,” she declares. “Pets need to be planned for realistically.” We want the future leaders of this county to not only grasp and accept this concept, but practice it and apply it to life. The respect for human life is exceedingly essential, so why should