Rescues all over the country are busting at the seams. Dogs are dying horrible deaths due to humans lack of caring. First, dogs are domesticated. Dogs cannot survive on their own. Have you really looked at photos of dogs that have been on their own for some time? They are starving to death, eat up with parasites, injured, the list is long. So before you dump your dog on a deserted road, please remember you are sentencing your dog to a horrible slow death unless some Good Samaritan shows up and takes him/her in.
Are you considering adopting? Do your research. Too many times we get calls from vets offices asking can we take a dog because the owners have brought the dog in to be euthanized. Perfectly healthy dogs who did nothing wrong, but humans changed their minds. If you are truly considering adopting and are ready to commit for the life of the dog, then research the dog that may fit your life style. Working dogs need jobs, lots of activity, and structure. If you are a couch potato or going to try to crate the dog for 8 hours while you work, look for another breed. Do not adopt a dog on looks alone. The goal is to match the dog to your lifestyle. Invest in a trainer! A trainer could make a world of difference for your dog and you.
County Shelters ( not all as some are doing an awesome job that we visit regularly), do your job. Managed intake does not mean half the shelter is empty. It also does not mean that you refuse to pick up dogs who are abandoned and stand the chance of getting hit by a vehicle, attacked by a predator or starved to death. Your job is not only to pick up those in need, but to get homes for those in the shelter. Rescues are here to help ( we help several shelters) but cannot help when volunteers are denied going to see the dogs in the shelter, cannot evaluate the dogs in the shelter, for that matter can’t even find out how many or what dogs are in there. What happened to transparency???? I firmly believe shelters that have a compassionate leader can make their 90 percent live release rate to be considered no kill without cooking the numbers. I actually know one director who has a 98 percent live release rate. She also has helped numerous other shelters to save lives. Amazing what truly caring people can do together.
Low cost spay/neuter clinics are needed everywhere! Our county desperately needs one. We could work different areas of the county, even pick up and return the dogs back home. Getting the dogs in our county ( and other counties) should be a priority. The number of puppies now is unreal and puppy season is year round. Recently I went to an area when a person had around 30 dogs in his care unaltered. Several were females. The local shelter picked up some, but there is no schedule as far as we know to get the others. All the females need to be picked up and spayed immediately. by the time they go back, more puppies will be born into a life of hell. A neighbor told of puppies getting attacked by predators, hit by vehicles, diseased and more.
Volunteer to help either with a rescue or at your local shelter ( if they welcome volunteers). Walk dogs, go to events, help socialize the dogs. Take pics for posts on the adoption sites. Volunteer to foster. In our case we have so many dogs now that are current fosters are doubled and tripled up. Even if it is short term, just a week would help save more lives.
Dogs are loyal and love you unconditionally. Can we not return that love?
