I bet almost all of you have shared a house with an animal even for a short amount of time. Pets are amazing; they become like family, and they are remembered for years, even after they pass away. Every pet owner is aware that their pets have a very short life span when compared to humans, and fear that they will never come. I am one of those people, I believe that all animals should have the opportunity to live as long as they are alive.
A no-kill shelter is described as “an animal shelter that does not kill healthy or treatable animals even when the shelter is full, reserving euthanasia for terminally ill animals or those considered dangerous to public safety (No Kill Advocacy Center, 2014).” When the shelters are full, they expand their resources with the help from donators and volunteers, and they work really hard to lower the number of animals in the system by adopting. It is important to spay and neuter these animals in the shelters to prevent further birthing.
I believe an animal still should have the right to live, even if they are a hazard to public safety. There could be special shelters where only these types of animals would live. On the other hand, when an animal is terminally ill and suffering, I believe euthanasia is the correct decision. A dog can’t enjoy life if he’s not going to be able to run and play, and instead be lying down in pain in a room by himself all day.
Who are we to decide on who dies and who lives? How different is this from racism, if we kill a specific kind of animal just to keep the population under control? No dog or cat should die because we want to! Say yes to no-kill shelters!
“No Kill 101: A Primer on No Kill Animal Control Sheltering For Public Officials” 4 September 2014 at the Wayback Machine., No Kill Advocacy Center, accessed 2 September 2014.
Very interesting topic! This is something I am passionate about also. I have done volunteer work with various no kill shelters over the years and it has always been rewarding. I live in Los Angeles and there is a group of shelters, NKLA (no kill Los Angeles), that do amazing work. These types of programs are expensive to run, so I know how important extra hands and money is to them. I always recommend this community to anyone I know looking for a new pet. Los Angeles also recently banned the sale of non-rescue cats and dogs early this year. It feels great to be art of a community that is making such great strides. Here is an article if you are interesting in reading more: http://catingtonpost.com/los-angeles-permanently-bans-the-sale-of-non-rescue-cats-dogs/