Quote:
Originally Posted by concretegurl  I hear these horror stories about pounds and wonder if people are less than honest, exaggerating, or if outside of my area there is such a dramatic difference
My local animal control and the vast majority surrounding are also kill shelters technically, they put down dogs that do not pass behavioral testing, or have severe medical reasoning. Same as the SPCA is around the country...worldwide...it's a last resort.
When I volunteered at rescue, the pound constantly called when they were full asking who could foster this one or that one, or can this or that rescue take this breed etc...they don't just put dogs down over overcrowding...but they also didn't take owner surrenders...they advised a list of rescues...they take strays to reunite with owners, and otherwise abandoned dogs...I think people complain so much...perhaps they should volunteer, get involved and be the change they want to see...in rescue we also had to put down some dogs because of severe behavioral issues and severe illness...it was a last resort effort as it should always be...Humboldt County Animal Shelter, Sequoia Humane Society, I volunteered there years ago...I guess I assume it is the same everywhere, perhaps not though...they should all be "so bad" as ours here though. |
Our pounds accept surrenders, and the biggest issue that I saw was the amount of litters they received from owners that didn't spay or neuter their animals. I also had a lot of dogs that were diabetics, had hurt limbs, etc., but with proper care, they had a chance to thrive. I'm sure that there are public services around that offers spay/neutering services at a pro-rated price, but people don't prioritize it. I'm really sensitive when it comes to killing anything living, unless the animal is at the point of living in misery with pain or bad health conditions. In GA, the pounds worked closely with better funded organizations that could rehabilitate behavioral issues in dogs, and that made a huge difference too.