By now you've probably seen the story about the dog that survived an attempt to euthanize him. This kind of thing is not completely unheard of -- a similar story made the rounds in 2006.
In both instances, people came out of the woodwork wanting to adopt the "miracle dog."
Well I have some news for those people: you can accomplish the very same "miracle" any day of the week just by visiting an animal shelter and taking your pick.
Sure, it's amazing when an animal defies the odds and manages to escape certain death. But what about the other 3,999,999 dogs and cats that are euthanized every year in the United States? Is an uncanny resistance to poison your only criterion for choosing a pet? It shouldn't be.
If you want a dog or cat and can provide it a good home, don't wait around for something extraordinary to happen. Go to your local shelter and meet the animals. If you feel strongly about adopting from a no-kill organization, that's great: you'll be freeing up space for them to pull animals from local kill shelters.
It would be wonderful if we lived in a world where every homeless pet got the kind of news coverage that would prompt hundreds of people to want to take them home. In the real world, we have no choice but to go looking for each special pet on our own.
Amen! Well said!
Posted by: Spyder | March 03, 2011 at 09:26 PM
Thanks for making the point about no-kill shelters. We adopted two of our guys from one and have since had several people imply that it's more compassionate and meaningful to adopt from a kill shelter. I have to (kind of defensively) explain that all the rescue groups and shelters in the area draw from the same pool of homeless pets, so any adoption takes pressure off the system.
Posted by: JoolieB | March 03, 2011 at 09:50 PM
Very nice post. Well said!
Posted by: Judy | March 03, 2011 at 11:04 PM
Amen, Sister! The thought of the Kill shelters makes me want to hurt somebody, but adopting from the 'No Kill' shelters opens up slots for hope. Bottom Line and the First Rule of Decency is that if you bring an animal into your house then you treat this living soul as a member of your family. You neuter them, feed them, love them and protect them. If you can not afford to keep them then you find them a home that will do the above for them.
There is no excuse to abandon, abuse or not provide your pet with the same love and attention you would give to any other member of your family. And if you do not recognize this as a pre-requisite for owning a pet then you need to find a loving home for this soul and seriously ask yourself about your lack of the basic beliefs of humanity.
Posted by: Malinda Minzenmayer | March 04, 2011 at 02:35 AM
Amen, amen, amen.
Posted by: Laurie | March 04, 2011 at 02:43 PM