Taylor Tann
English 2010
Ron Christiansen
November 11, 2013
Animal Euthanasia- The Fight for Life
What comes to your mind when you
hear the words “animal shelter?” Before this
essay, I would have said a refuge, a place for
animals to go and be properly taken care of and protected. “The goal of the modern animal
shelter is to provide a safe and caring environment until the animal is either reclaimed by its
owner, placed in a new home, or placed with another organization for adoption.” Little did I
know, millions of innocent animals are put to sleep each year due to lack of space. There has
been a decrease in adoptions, and an overpopulation of animals, which results in too many
animals to provide care for. Many of these animals would make amazing pets, but they do not
get the opportunity. If these animals are not adopted in time, or if there is not enough space in
animal shelters, these innocent animals are put to sleep. They decide which animals to put to
sleep based on: age, health, space, breed, behavior, etc. How would you like to make the decision
of which animals live and which ones do not?
This is a very disturbing thought to process, and would like to start advocating for these
animals and find a way to keep this unnecessary euthanizing from happening. I think a change is
needed, and there are many ways we can tackle this immense problem together as a community.
By working together we can create a better awareness in our society about this issue, hopefully
increasing the amount of animals being adopted each year. We could try to create better
regulations on breeding animals, and find a way to enforce them. We should try and influence
individuals to spay and neuter their animals. This would help reduce pet populations, and the
community would be more influenced to adopt their pets. These are some of the methods that
could be used to try and save these incredible animals.
This all starts with educating people about the proper responsibilities of owning a pet.
This is the first time I, along with many, have heard of this issue. According to a KSL newspaper
article, 30,000 cats and dogs were euthanized in Utah alone in just each year. ("Activists Say
30,000 Cats and Dogs Euthanized in Utah") This is something that everyone should be aware of,
so we can start taking action in hopes of lowering this awfully high number. By getting the word
out about this issue, we will hopefully start to increase the amount of adoptions taking place each
year.
After her dog passed away this last year, my grandmother decided that she wanted to
adopt a dog. She quickly became frustrated with the paperwork and requirements, and was not
patient enough to endure such a lengthy process. They mentioned that they would have to make
spontaneous visits to her home, and would have the opportunity to do so whenever they wanted.
After making a substantial effort for adoption, she became so annoyed and decided to purchase
her new pet from a breeder. My grandma is a very suitable pet owner, and it is a shame that an
animal lost a chance to a good home. Animal shelters do not want animals to go to an unfit
home, which is completely understandable; however, they only give these animals a certain
amount of time to get adopted anyways, approximately one to two weeks, and if they do not get
adopted in that short amount of time their lives are over anyways (Animal Shelter Statistics).
Considering that the goal is to save these animals, and that there are such a high number that
need a home, you would think that the adoption process would be a little more lenient.
PETA argues, “While animals wait for homes or safe shelters tomorrow, they are
suffering today.” Many animal shelters automatically resort to euthanizing, because they do not
know what to do with so many animals. People are arguing that animals would be better off
euthanized than to live in an overcrowded and uncomfortable shelter, lacking the love and
exercise that they need to be healthy. Daphna Nachminovitch, director of PETA’s domestic
animals issues and abuse department states, "We can't in good conscience oppose euthanasia as a
means of overpopulation control when the alternative is animals being chained, deprived of
companionship and exercise” (Levine-Gronningsater). This is a very good point; however most
animal shelters are only waiting 1-2 weeks to see if an animal will get adopted. I think there
should at least be a longer time requirement, before these animals are put to sleep. We really
should try to give these animals more time in a crowded, dirty shelter in hopes that they might
actually be placed in a good home.
Overpopulation is a main reason that animal shelters are not able to keep homeless
animals obtained for long. Unfortunately there has been a decrease in adoptions which has
drastically increased the number of animals that are put in shelters and are out of a home. I think
one way that we might help our community control overpopulation is to place stricter regulations
for those individuals that want to breed their animals- whether that is a larger fee or an actual
license to partake in the breeding process. Another thought would be to require a tax, flat fee, or
license for every animal born using this method. The revenue earned from these tax and license
fees could help educate people, and could help support existing and additional animal shelters.
Hopefully this will help lower the amount of people that are breeding their animals, and will help
others consider adoption. I think another option could be to create better regulations for spaying
and neutering cats and dogs. This could help our community lower overpopulation. Many people
do not choose to neuter their animals, because of the expenses that come along with the process,
or because they feel that it is not necessary. According to the humane society, part of their
funding goes towards low-cost spay and neuter programs that will help complete these
procedures at a cheaper price (“You Can Afford to Have Your Pet Spayed or Neutered”). Other
people feel that this is an unnecessary process, and do not want to spend their money on
something that does not NEED to be done. Many people are not responsible enough to take care
of animals properly; therefore spaying and neutering should be a required procedure.
There are many people arguing that euthanizing can be a beneficial process, and I would
have to agree for those animals that are in pain; however, I do not feel like this method should be
used for other purposes. There are many shelters in Utah that do not partake in the euthanizing
process, such as the one in Murray. These shelters are called “No Kill” shelters. According to
Britannica’s Advocacy for Animals, “No Kill is a comprehensive movement for animal-shelter
reform that is advocated by Winograd and that has goals beyond the simple policy not to
euthanize animals. It is defined by practices whereby no animal is ever killed for any reason
other than to alleviate the animal’s suffering or because the animal is so vicious as to be
uncontrollable; animals are not killed because there isn’t enough space at the shelter, because the
animal is sick, handicapped, or unattractive, or if it has correctable behavioral problems”
("Encycopedia Britannic Advocacy for Animals"). This No-Kill movement started approximately 30
years ago after there were many protests throughout the animal right community about the high
numbers of unadopted dogs and cats being put to sleep. By giving these animals the proper
medical treatment, grooming, training, socialization, and better advertisement, these shelters are
better able to improve the animals’ chances of being adopted (Haynes). Although these No-Kill
shelters are becoming more popular with time, there should be more shelters throughout the
world advocating for these innocent animals, and setting this kind of example. A major obstacle
in becoming a No-Kill shelter is the lack of funding. I think that euthanizing can have its
benefits, but needs to be used for the right reasons. Euthanizing due to lack of space is very
unethical, and there are many ways we can keep this from happening.
“The 10-year-old golden retriever mix arrived at the Richmond, Va., Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty of Animals in May 2003 with a sweet disposition, but a long list of
medical woes: heartworms, mange and cancer. Many shelters can't afford to keep such animals
alive. Luckily for Monet, she had arrived at a "no-kill" shelter that does not euthanize animals.
After more than a year at the center, Monet recently found a home with a 97-year-old widow”
(“Groups Seek to Stop Euthanasia of Pets in Shelters”). I think this is an incredible story, and is
showing that even the least appealable animals can still be adopted. Just because Monet was at a
No-Kill shelter, he was given a second chance.
This problem is not only something that needs to change in Utah, but is something that
needs to be improved worldwide. There are approximately 2.7 million healthy animals that are
euthanized each year in animal shelters (“Pet Overpopulation”). By working together we can
make a big difference by just focusing on some of these options. Communication will be
essential to teach others about what methods are working to help control animals around the
world. We need to share with the community that there are many innocent animals that need a
home, and they need our help. We need more people in our community and worldwide that are
on board and committed to creating lifesaving programs for these animals. There are many
benefits that could come out of regulating the breeding process. As a community we need to
influence others to spay and neuter their animals. Euthanizing can be a very beneficial practice,
but I do not feel that it should ever be used because of overpopulation. We have many things that
we can work on as a whole to help improve this issue, but it is obvious that we need to make a
change. Many animal shelters are not what people think they are. They are not necessarily a
place for refuge, a safe house, and somewhere that gives love and care for an animal. Many
animal shelters could be the final, and could actually be a very cruel end to an animal’s life.
Works Cited
Levine-Gronningsater, Anna. "Case of Cruelty, or Compassion?." Christian Science Monitor. 25 Jul
2005: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 06 Dec 2013.
"You Can Afford to Have Your Pet Spayed or Neutered." TheHumane Society of the United States.
N.p., 06 Mar 2012. Web. 6 Dec 2013.
<http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/pet_overpopulation/tips/afford_spay_neuter.html>.
"Animal Shelter Statistics." Statistics Brain. N.p., 22 Sep 2012. Web. 6 Dec 2013.
<http://www.statisticbrain.com/animal-shelter-statistics/>.
"Activists Say 30,000 Cats and Dogs Euthanized in Utah." KSL.com. Deseret Digital Media, 10 Jul
2006. Web. 6 Dec 2013. <http://www.ksl.com/?sid=350280>.
Szabo, Liz. "Groups Seek to Stop Euthanasia of Pets in Shelters." USA TODAY. 26 Jul 2004: n.p.
SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 06 Dec 2013.
Haynes, V. Dion. "'No-Kill' Animal Shelter Movement Seeks Room to Grow." Chicago Tribune
(Chicago, IL). 06 Mar 2003: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 07 Dec 2013.
"Encycopedia Britannic Advocacy for Animals." Animal Shelters nd the No Kill Movement.
Encyclopedia Britannica Inc., 14 Jan 2008. Web. 8 Dec 2013.
<advocacy.britannica.com/blog/advocacy/2008/01/animal-shelter-and-the-no-kill-debate/>.