Kill+vs.+No+Kill+Shelters+(HL)



=Kill vs. No Kill Animal Shelters=

There are many animal shelters, but there are two very different kind of animal shelters. One animal shelter sometimes kills their animals, and the other does not. What makes one decide to kill their animals and the other not? What are these decisions based off of and is this justified? The goal of animal shelters is to provide a safe and caring environment until the animal is either reclaimed by its owner placed in a new home, or placed with another organization. For the animal shelters that do not necessarily kill their adoptable animals, the unadoptable animals are euthanized if they are too sick to be treated or too aggressive to be suitable for adoption.

But what happens in no kill animal shelters if some animals are just not adoptable? An animal could be vicious or a known biter, sick, or just simply won’t ever be adopted.

If an animal is vicious or a know biter, the shelter may not know until they experience it themselves. At that point, a city pound would either find a trainer willing to take it or euthanize it. A no-kill shelter would keep it in a kennel for years seeking a home.

If an animal is sick, they too deserve just as much a chance to live as a healthy animal. In this case a no-kill animal shelter would divert their funds which could be used to neuter, feed, and care for many other healthy animals, in order to save a sick one. They may also keep a sick animal for adoption, in hopes that someone will take it home and pay for its care.

For other animals, though, they just won’t be adopted. This is not because of life-or-health-threatening situations, but because of other behavioral issues. Some of these shelters will keep the animals in cages for years, waiting for a home that may or may not come.

One concern, though, for no-kill shelters is that they may be less responsible in seeking the right home for animals. Is this true?

Although there are animal shelters that do not kill, there are ones that do. This is usually because these animal shelters do not have the money or space to keep every animal. Also, if it is not found a home within a certain period of time, it will have to be put to sleep. This is again in order to make room for other animals that are coming in.

The method most commonly used by animal shelters that kill is called animal euthanasia. This method is designed to cause minimal pain and distress. It is said that between 3 and 4 million dogs and cats are euthanized in shelters in the U.S annually. This number, however, has decreased greatly over the last few decades. This is due to the improvement of adoption procedures, and increasing number of animals getting spayed or neutered, which is decreasing the number of animals entering shelters. For every spay or neuter that takes place, it results in .72 fewer dogs and .57 fewer cats entering the shelter. In addition, it is estimated that only 15% of dogs and 2% of cats who enter animal shelters are reunited with their owners.

Just like a regular no kill animal shelter, an animal shelter that kills also receives animals that are vicious or are known biters, who are sick, and who simply just will not be adopted. The only difference is that they handle these issues differently in some ways.

For animals that are vicious, these shelters will either find a trainer willing to take the dog, or euthanize it.

If the animal is sick, many times, these types of animal shelters will euthanize it.

And then, for other animals who will not be adopted, because of other behavioral issues, are sometimes refused to be taken by some shelters and are forced into animal shelters that will end up killing them. The number one method for this, just like in many other cases, is for them to be euthanized.

Both of these kinds of animal shelters are different from each other in two ways, one kills and the other one does not. Within these generalizations are different organizations such as animal control agencies, open door shelters, animal sanctuaries, rescue organizations, and no kill shelters.

Each of them deals with animals in their own ways. In most cases these animals are put up for adoption but in other cases they are put up for adoption for only a certain period of time.

Either way, no animal wants to be put into an animal shelter and there can be many ways to prevent this.

=Prevent Animals from Entering Animal Shelters= Animal shelters are facilities that house lost or abandoned animals. There are both animal shelters that kill their animals and animal shelters who do not kill their animals but I believe that no animal should be stuck in either one. No animal shelter truly takes care of their animals, and it is nothing like if they were being taken care of by their owners. There are many different types of animal shelters such as open door shelters, animal sanctuaries, rescue organizations, and no kill animal shelters. An open door animal shelter accepts all animals that come into the shelter, usually with no fee. An animal sanctuary “takes car” of the animals that come in for the rest of their natural life. They do not usually try to find them other homes or organizations. These sanctuaries will also, most likely, take in animals that are not adoptable. These types of animals include wild animals, abused pets, or animals with medical concerns. Rescue organizations are not considered animal shelters but have the same goal as them. They also try to find families to adopt some of the animals but these rescue groups usually focus on one specific breed or type of animal, and also have volunteers who keep these animals in their homes until they are adopted. For no kill animal shelters, adoptable animals are not put to sleep. If there are animals who are not adoptable, because of medical or behavioral issues, euthanasia often occurs. These facilities also usually arrange foster homes for these animals to be cared for until they can be adopted. Even though some animal shelters keep all of their animals, not all of them are adopted. For the animals who are not adopted, they are kept in cages for most of the time. Just because they are not killed does not mean that they are happy where they are. As for animal shelters that kill their animals, they kill them usually because they either have no more room for other animals and need it, or because the animals are vicious, sick, or just will not be adopted for other reasons. Their way of killing is animal euthanasia. It is not fair for any animal to be killed especially if they do not need to be. There are many ways to prevent animals from entering animal shelters. Statistics show that 56 percent of dogs and 71 percent of cats that enter animal shelters are euthanized. And then, only 15 percent of dogs and 2 percent of cats that enter animal shelters are reunited with their owners. In order to increase the number of animals reunited with their owners one should: By doing little things like this, you could potentially allow your pet to continue living a happy life. However, if you do not have a pet and may be looking for one, adopt. There is nothing more enjoyable than bringing home a cute, innocent, loveable puppy that is just looking for a family to love and take care of fit. Many people do not realize what goes on in animal shelters. One may thing that for an animal to be in an animal shelter is better for them but it is not. The animals do not receive the love, attention and care that they require. It is unfortunate for those animals that are not adoptable because of their sickness or viciousness. Instead of being adopted they will most likely be killed and they will not be able to live a full life like many other animals. Because they require so much more care, it costs animal shelters more money, and they take up space in the animal shelters which could be used for other, healthier animals. Although it is better for animals to be put into an animal shelter rather than the street, they are still not happy. Animals need real care, love, and affection. So again, if you are looking for an animal, adopt. These animals would really appreciate it.
 * 1) Make sure your pet wears an identification tag which includes your name, address, phone number, and pets name.
 * 2) Make sure your pet wears a rabies license and city license
 * 3) Keep the license current because it helps shelters locate pet owners
 * 4) Put a reward on the tag if you are willing to pay for it
 * 5) Put a temporary tag on your pet if you move, which should include a phone number of someone who will know how to reach you
 * 6) Make sure your indoor pet has a tag, they could still escape, and
 * 7) Consider getting your pet micro chipped.

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Over half the households in America include an animal companion. Yet behind this immense love of animals lies an equally immense tragedy: each year, community animal shelters take in eight to twelve million lost and unwanted dogs and cats who face an uncertain fate. One at a Time: A Week in an American Animal Shelter talks about this issue clearly with a true account of 7 days in a typical U.S. animal shelter. This book descibes the stories of 75 animals who passed through a Northern California animal shelter during this one week. Their touching stories include excerpts from actual shelter records; the words of shelter workers, volunteers, and visitors; and the final ending of each animal's journey through the animal shelter system. When you Look into the eyes of these animals, you let their stories give you a riveting and unforgettable look into this homeless animal tragedy. Whether it is the lost dog quickly brought together with his family because he was wearing an ID tag, the cat facing euthanasia or the dog happily being adopted into a new home, all the animals in One at a Time has a powerful message to share. This book will help you "to see the real faces behind the numbers, and to experience the miracles and heartbreak that play out every day in our nation's shelters... one animal at a time." One at a Time will also give you hope, because this tragedy can be ended and everyone can help. It gives us the chance to become better people.
 * __Book Description__**:

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 * __Book Review__**:

This is a link to a review of the book One at a Time: A week in an American Animal Shelter. It talks about how heart-felt, heartbreaking, tragic, and loving this book is. It is emotionally moving and intensely motivating. This book will leave you breathless from cover to cover.

=Mom in NY pet torture case hit with new charges By FRANK ELTMAN= News Article Link: []

Summary: This article is about a woman in New York who was accused of forcing her children to torture househeld pets and burying numerous animals in their backyard. There have been charges of not only animal cruelty and animal torture but also child endangerment. Sharon McDonugh fully denies that she had forced her children to be involved in the torturing of the animals. She was arrested in November based on six misdemeanor animal cruelty counts after authorities found five dogs and a cat crammed into a cage covered with filth but the worst has yet to come. These animals are now free from this woman and are living in an animal shelter. = = = =