Influx of Dogs Across Nation’s Shelters
It takes a village
Keeping pets out of the shelter and in a good home is the responsibility of everyone in our community who cares for pets.
Finding homes for our shelter dogs is a group effort.
We are a nation of dog lovers, with close to 90 million dogs in loving homes in the U.S. Unfortunately, in shelters across the country, staff are facing a crisis of too many dogs and too few people coming to adopt. Our own shelter in Big Pine is full right now. Some of the dogs are strays that have been abandoned, often not neutered or spayed, and some are starving by the time they are found. Some have just gotten away from home and need identification so they can be returned. And about a third of the dogs that end up at the shelter are owner released, for many different reasons. The shelter staff works tirelessly to keep the animals safe, fed, clean, walked, and hopefully adopted to a forever home as soon as possible. There are also a few volunteers who give both time and energy to assist in those efforts.
Preventative measures such as collars and name tags for pets (and making sure they are always worn) can help get pets back home. Microchipping your pet, building or mending a fence to keep a dog home, and having a spayed or neutered animal are helpful in keeping the shelter population under control.
We don’t know all the reasons dogs end up in shelters, but we know some. Owning a pet requires money, patience, and time. Medical care including spaying and neutering is very important, as well as training to teach a pet to live in our world without problems. Responsible dog ownership involves a lifelong commitment to the animal you choose to share your life with.
Eastern Sierra Dog Rescue would like to suggest that the job of saving animals in our community shouldn’t fall only to the shelter. Community-based support could involve walking shelter dogs, but also fostering an older dog who needs a quiet environment and a loving hand. Puppies are delightful creatures who are a lot of work for shelter staff, but if fostered they are an opportunity for families to teach caring, respect, and responsibility for living creatures. Local businesses could foster a cat where potential adopters could be charmed by their presence outside of the shelter environment. Even small acts of kindness such as helping an elderly neighbor walk their dog, or fix a fence, can help keep a dog in its home.
Shelters are stressful environments for pets. Dogs have evolved for thousands of years to be companions to people. Shelter staff gravitate to the jobs they have because of a love for animals, and they do their best. We would like to prevent animals from ending up unwanted and address the issues that lead to animals being surrendered or let go to fend for themselves. Keeping an animal in a loving home may require support for families to get their animal spayed or neutered, help with food or vet bills, or training ideas for behavioral issues. Eastern Sierra Dog Rescue would like to help, and we welcome the ideas of community members to help ease the problem of unwanted pets in the Eastern Sierra.
Keeping pets out of the shelter and in a good home is the responsibility of everyone in our community who cares for pets. The Inyo County Animal Shelter is full. Please help any way you can.
As published in The Inyo Register’s Opinion page, Top of the Morning section.
