The country has been having a crisis with an overpopulation of homeless pets for years. Millions of animals across America are left unadopted in shelters or living on the streets. This results from a lack of preparation among people who plan on getting an animal, assuming it is not much work. Many people purchase or adopt a pet, realize they cannot afford it, or cannot provide the proper care for them, and leave them in dumpsters or on the streets. This problem increases during this time of the year. Parents purchase their children pets for Christmas, not realizing how much of a responsibility it is and end up abandoning them after a few weeks. 

Around 6.5 million pets are abandoned each year according to The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Around 1.5 million shelter animals are euthanized each year in America. Approximately 670,000 dogs and 860,000 cats each year.  

Many people who abandon their pets do not invest in getting them the proper vaccines or other treatments while in their care. Unvaccinated pets can not only develop illness but can also pass on this illness to other animals. Some examples of these illnesses are Rabies, Feline Leukemia Virus, Feline Immunodeficiency Virus, Distemper, and Parvo. Many people abandon their unspayed and unneutered pets, which allows for animals to breed, only making the problem worse. So it is extremely important to vaccinate and spay or neuter your pets. 

These animals are typically taken to an animal shelter where they will be given the proper care until they can find a good home. However, the problem has expanded so much that shelters are overcrowded and cannot take care of all of these animals. This results in thousands of animals being euthanized across the country, without having any health issues to free up cages.

Many people prefer to purchase pure-bred animals or puppies and kittens rather than adopt animals from a shelter, which leaves many shelter animals without homes. In addition, many places that sell pure-bred animals do not ethically breed these pets. The conditions in these facilities are inhumane and are made for profit and loosely regulated. The cost of purchasing a pure-bred pet is also significantly higher than adopting one. When you choose to adopt instead of shopping you are saving an animal’s life.

Some local animal shelters are New Lease on Life, Animal Charity Humane Society, Friends of Fido MCDP, West Side Cats, and Angels for Animals. So if you are planning to adopt a pet you can visit one of these places. Many of these locations also accept donations of things such as  towels, blankets, toys, food, cat litter, leashes, and cleaning supplies.