Thursday, September 8, 2011

The Reminder Pet Owners Need

The commonly known figures are 6 to 8 million for animals taken to shelters every year and about 4 million for animals that are euthanized at these shelters. When numbers get so large (above hundreds, thousands, millions) that we can't wrap our minds around them, a number merely remains a number and there is no impact on us. But what if you could see everyday a few of the faces of the cats and dogs whose lives will be purposefully ended because no one has come their way to save them?

What if I told you that this one year old dog named Trudy will be put down in Texas TOMORROW if no one decides to take her in?

What if I told you this 7 months old girl will be killed within hours, TODAY, in Las Vegas?

What if I told you this 7 months old kitty was already put down today..

..as well as this two years old female named Faith?

There is the most thoughtful application on Facebook called "Pet Pardons" that allows people across the states to post up information on animals in shelters whose lives have a decided timeline: http://apps.facebook.com/petpardons/

If you have a Facebook account, this is one of the best thing you can do for animals truly in need. Simply add the application and share postings with your social networks. If you know of any animals that will be put down at a shelter, this is also one of the places to spread the word and get help for the animal.

I will leave you with two more tidbits of information.

For those that have found an animal, please refer to the lists of NO-KILL animal shelters for each state via http://www.nokillnetwork.org/

Also, if you are a pet owner or guardian, please consider neutering and spaying your pet. If you are an animal lover, I know you would want other animals to get the same chance at life as your pet. Always remember, what if your pet was in the position of being an unwanted animal in a shelter because there are not enough homes for all the animals out there?

Edit: And just as importantly, please choose to adopt and save a life rather than buy.