Why Are So Many Cats And Dogs Being Pts In Pounds?

[Leema]

An opinion poll... Don't think too hard. Opinions over facts.

[persephone]

because there are simply not enough homes for all the cats/dogs which are born.

[Pretty Miss Emma]

Animals are still seen by so many as a disposable item, plus there is also the instant gratification of a pet shop purchase. Those 2 factors I think play a big part in euth rates. I also think that euth rates sometimes appear high in shelters because there are a lot of people who bring their pets in to be euth'ed rather than taking them to their own vet and paying, plus there is also the issue of the number of feral animals (primarily cats) who get taken to shelters once trapped, get euth'ed as they are not able to be re-homed and therefore also contribute to their euth rate.

But the big factor in change I think needs to be education of the general public about the commitment that pets are, that desexing (or doing everything possible to stop your pet having litters "but it's just nice for the kids to see them having babies") is important, and that just because the house you're in now allows pets/or while you're in the country you want a pet but have no plan/intention of taking it with you when you leave isn't really an accpetable attitude. I also think it would be good to see a bit more government support for such things (sensible support though, not stuff like the vic govt has decided to do recently!).

[Dory the Doted One]

I don't think a lot of people treat cats as serious pets. They are cute as kittens and worth love and attention, less so as adults especially those that have independent characters. They are also cheap and easy to replace should it get lost or broken. Many don't value cats. You see this by the fact that many do not worm, flea treat or vaccinate the cat. But they will with the dog. They only desex because they don't want to have to deal with kittens. (they're are many people that do, but I don't think they are the majority).

Dogs, I think is a little bit more multi tiered in its problem. Many of the suggested options apply.

I think education is a verylarge key to helping ease the problem.

ETA....stupid phone with tiny buttons. Stupid big fat fingers.

Edited November 28, 2011 by Dory the Doted One

[Greytmate]

The reason so many dogs and cats are euthanised is because people do not value that animal or it has not met their expectations.

I find a lot of your questions really loaded.

If an animal is euthanised in a pound it is because a shelter wasn't available. Pounds are a government responsibility. Many shelters are a welfare initiative and are not given enough resources to stop the problem.

Aggressive dogs are that way usually because they have a genetic propensity for aggression. How people raise the dog sometimes makes no difference. There are plenty of well-raised aggressive dogs around and badly raised dogs with no aggression. Many people choose to own a breed with an aggressive reputation, and want to raise it that way. Education won't stop that, but better enforced dog control laws might.

Rarely do people have to give up their dog when life circumstances change. Many choose to prioritise other things over their dog, or buy a dog when they have no control over the circumstances the dog will have to endure. That is irresponsibility and the reason you have listed is a convenient excuse more often than the reason why an animal has to be destroyed.

I do not agree with trap neuter release, as cats do a lot of damage to the environment in Australia. Building bigger shelters won't work unless there are the resources to move the dogs through shelters and into new homes. I think that there should be more incentive for people to desex their pets, and more restrictions put on people that breed unregistered animals.

I think that tenants should have to pay a much higher bond if they have animals or children, and pay a little extra in rent, but it should be illegal to discriminate against those that want to own pets. Landlords should find an alternate investment that isn't so personal to them if they have a problem with this.

I'm not sure why you are asking people not to think too hard about this and just give an opinion. There have been studies done on the reasons why people surrender pets.

More pets would be adopted from shelters if people understood that a shelter can be a great place to get a great dog from. Using a poll like this to suggest that shelters might be a reason for the problem isn't very helpful at all.

[Ruffles]

I don't think a lot of people treat cats as serious pets. They are cute as kittens and worth love and attention, less so as adults especially those that have independent characters. They are also cheap and easy to replace should it get lost or broken. Many don't value cats. You see this by the fact that many do not worm, flea treat or vaccinate the cat. But they will with the dog. .

I agree with this, and it can even be seen on forums such as this where people agonise over the correct diet for their dog. What's the best premium dry food, supermarket brands are bad etc. but they will feed their cat Kitekat, or no name brand rubbish from the supermarket shelf no worries. Not saying supermarket stuff is the worst but just the comparison to the concern over their dogs diet, but not their feline companions.

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

I think a lot of people get a puppy or kitten because they're cute, or they just saw a movie with that critter in it, and then real life sets in, and keeping the critter is inconveninet so it ends up at the pound.

Sometimes they'd like to keep the critter but have no idea what to do in order to train the critter to be a good family pet, and then get upset and ditch the critter when they get overwhelmed by the naughty adolescent or adult. Sometimes these people will go get another baby critter to try again - with no more skills or knowledge than the first time round - thinking there was something wrong with the previous critter or that they "broke" it and can't fix it. Ie they don't know how to train the pet back to acceptable, once it gets out of control.

http://www.dogstardaily.com/video-cck/thickbox/4225/425/350/field_video_0

Guide dogs and TV cats are not born already trained.

[sandgrubber]

Too many animals . . . too few good homes.

It's too expensive to care for unwanted animals in populations capable of doubling in one year or less.

Generally, it makes sense, through carrot and stick, to discourage breeding of animals whose offspring aren't highly desirable.

I think subsidized desexing of pets is cost effective, especially for low income people.

Mandatory desexing makes sense for animals with health or behaviour problems. People who have track records of abuse, or inadequate confinement, should be required to desex their pets.

[OSoSwift]

I think subsidized desexing and education will go a long way to reducing the amount of animals that end up in shelters and pounds.

[~Anne~]

You can't answer such a complex situation with a poll like this.

[Greyt]

It is the price we pay for the system we have.

In a Scandi country (I think Norway), you have to have a license to breed dogs and there is mandatory de-sexing of non-breeders dogs.

Consequently, there is a shortage of dogs and to get one you have to go on a waiting list (usually long, say ~3 years), then have an interview, similar to a job interview to prove that you are fit to own a dog. The breeder will also ask you to bring verification of your income to prove that you have the financial capability to care for a dog. There are no pounds over there.

Obviously, another result is that unless you are middle class and have stable employment, you are prevented from having a dog.

I worry that the Gen Yers coming through - and how we cater to them, à la handbag dogs - will only make the problem worse in Australia.

[juice]

Dogs are too easily bought.

Too many people buy on impulse without any knowledge of the breed they are buying.

Alot of dogs in the pound are there because their owner chose the wrong breed for their situation.

Because like everything else, we throw whats "broken" out and buy another.

Perhaps standing in the " kill "room and watching your pet die would be a good idea when you surrender it.

Education is the key, poeple i meet still think that the dogs in the pound must have something wrong with them to be there, and that breeders are snobby and only breed show dogs.

This misconception needs turning around, to stop people buying on impulse elswhere.

[Crisovar]

Shelters and Pounds are not the same type of facility.

To quickly answer a question why many animals turn up at either is ignorance on behalf of the pet buying public. Bad choices and unrealistic expectations and Irresponsible owners who allow animals to roam, irresponsible owners who enable random breedings.

[Scarlet]

I find it sad that we have shelters and pounds.

Yes we need somewhere for the odd escaping animal and the odd animal where the owners circumstances change but sadly we need to change owner's expectations and ownership of responsibilities.

Too many pets are impulse buys and many people don't value the life of animals.

And we need to make desexing readily available to everyone. I don't believe in compulsory desexing but desexing animals should be the norm for most pet owners.

[aussielover]

But who should subsidise desexing?

Many vets already make a loss on spey and castrates. $200 is not really much for major abdominal surgery and I've seen castrates for as low as $50

Should the government pay? Should taxpayers subsidise a persons decision to have a pet?

Ideally only people who could afford a pet and the associated costs would get one, I think this is part of the problem- people think they have a "right" to get a pet whether they are in a position to look after it or not.

[tdierikx]

We subsidise people having children... pity we can't desex some of the types that expect the government (read taxpayers) to provide them a living... *sigh*

Contrary to popular belief, most of the animals that end up in pounds and shelters AREN'T "broken" in any way, shape, or form...

Unfortunately, pets are often viewed as objects - easy to discard when no longer necessary to requirement. It's a sad indictment on our civilisation, or level of same.

Personally, I couldn't live without at least 2 or 3 dogs around - and my furbabies are for life. I know why many people give up their animals, but will never truly understand it...

T.

[spanky]

I'm guessing the reasons pets end up in shelters are varied, but some would stem from poor training, socialisation, novelty factor wearing off etc etc etc.

Cats are allowed too much freedom by owners, if you don't think they should be contained... don't own one. Undesexed cats are allowed to roam and become pregnant.

No feral cats should be desexed and released, they should be pts.

Pounds and shelters are not the issue, it's owners and the people breeding them that need to be held accountable.

[Trisven13]

I don't think that building bigger shelters solves the problem as I don't think that many dogs do well in shelter situations unless there is a LOT of money available to the shelter to provide stimulation, enrichment, socialisation and training. If a dog is to spend time in a shelter I believe that MOST dogs don't do well beyond about 4 weeks without the things mentioned above and many breeds wouldn't do well beyond a week.

When I was working with Albury Pound the cats were put to sleep immediately once their time was up if they were old (less chance of adoption), if they were dirty (didn't use a litter tray), sprayed or weren't friendly. Cats that were healthy, friendly and clean would often get extended time to find homes and the pound manager would do everything within her power to avoid putting them to sleep.

The dogs were a different story. The dogs were typically over-stimulated or very scared, there wasn't the ability for them to be exercised out of their pen (not to mention the disease risk this would pose if it WAS available), they had minimal interaction and no enrichment or training. There simply wasn't the resources for it. Typically pound staff would have little treats for dogs but they were paid for out of their own pockets. Skinny dogs were fed better, injured dogs were treated etc - they did the very best they could with the resources available to them but the resources quite simply weren't there.

I think education is the key. I truly don't believe that there were homes available for every dog that came into Albury Pound - too many working breed mixes and undersocialised dogs that posed a risk, PLUS ugly dogs. The sad reality is that brindle bull breeds took a VERY VERY long time to rehome.

[Dame Aussie]

I worked in a shelter for 3 years. I can tell you right now that at least half the dogs we got in were surrenders. Various reasons such as:

We're having a baby

We got a NEW dog

I don't have the time

She's stupid

My backyard is too small

He's getting out

These people see the dogs as a throw away item, not a family member.

Cats are a bit different, the amount of stray/wild cats we had in was unbelievable, basically people don't neuter their cats and they let them wander, if we tried to tell them to build a cat run or keep kitty inside they were mortified.

I had to leave the job as I couldn't stand it anymore. I do not blame the shelters/pounds, they are there to help clean up the mess, yes they need improvements, but ultimately the blame lies solely with the owners/breeders of these animals.

I apologise for sounding defeatist, but I honestly don't believe education will help. Yes it will make some kind of difference but there is always going to be a large amount of people who just don't give a toss.

Edited November 28, 2011 by Aussie3

[Podengo]

I do not agree with trap neuter release, as cats do a lot of damage to the environment in Australia.

Yeah this, in NZ too.