Wworm

Oh, i found them on youtube. This is the section that talks about basset hounds... interesting (though certainly biased against purebreds and dog shows).

Kirska

Mikey, while it may be true that there are enough homes for dogs out there in general, in many areas (probably most) overpopulation is a very real problem. Dallas Animal Services puts down roughly 100 dogs a day, most of which because of lack of space.

Perhaps "overpopulation" isn't the most accurate term. But the fact remains that the shelters in nearly all areas are overflowing. I volunteer at a no-kill shelter and they must turn away the vast majority of dogs that are looking for a spot. Last weekend when I went up there to meet Fred, we hadn't even opened up to the public yet and there was already 2 folks there with dogs trying to give them up and being turned away.

While I'm sure there are some shelters that import dogs or have to go searching for dogs, to suggest that this is the norm or anywhere close to average is absolutely laughable. If 5 shelters import 100 dogs a year, that doesn't disprove overpopulation as a whole when there are so many shelters putting down exponentially higher numbers. I have to wonder if you have ever spent any amount of time at a shelter to see how this is so far from reality.

If you would like to use this to critique those shelters that do this, I would agree with you that it is a poor practice, and I would also criticize their methods. But to use it as an argument against overpopulation as a whole is just... silly.

__________________
Mom to Anabelle and Lila, rescued ladies and Harley, Corgi/Beagle/Basset/?? mutt

"Saving just one dog won't change the world, but it surely will change the world for that one dog." - Richard C. Call

Kirska

Wworm, thanks for the kind words. I have been a dog lover my entire life. In college I read about a local story of a dog named Mercy that was burned alive for "fun" by her owner and ultimately died from her wounds. The shelter that cared for her in her last weeks is the one that I volunteer at now. It opened my eyes to the reality of cruelty and how many dogs are thrown away or abused. This is that case: Pet-Abuse.Com - Animal Abuse Case Details: Pit bull doused with gasoline, set on fire - Dallas, TX (US) Mercy is buried on the grounds of the shelter in the memorial garden. This is also the shelter that took Anabelle when her rescue could no longer care for her and gave her the surgery and other medical attention she needed to save her life. We often get victims of cruelty at the shelter, including dogs rescued from puppy mills as breeders, so it's hard to not get passionate about something when you see first hand the effects. At any given time we usually have at least one dog that's been the victim of criminal cruelty, such as burned or shot. Right now we have a dog whose ears and tail were cut off crudely with scissors. It's much more common than people would like to think.

Anyway, I agree with a lot of what you've posted, thanks for sharing your thoughts.

__________________
Mom to Anabelle and Lila, rescued ladies and Harley, Corgi/Beagle/Basset/?? mutt

"Saving just one dog won't change the world, but it surely will change the world for that one dog." - Richard C. Call

Mikey T

If they turn dogs away for reasons that apre not related to the dogs apoptability, Ie behaviaor issues , health etc then the selter man not euthanize but it is by no-means a "no- kill " shelter. which confirs specific criteria it such shelter tend to give "no-Kill" ad bad name if they chrerry pick dogs etc.
No-Kill Equation

[No one is deny otherwise adoptable dogs are being euthanized but the problem is not pet over population and as long as that is the focus then The problem is doomed to continue because the basic problem is not being solved which has everything to do with shelter management. I highly recommend you read Winograd book


If you have doubt about the major player in shelter organization are the problem see;

The Animals of NYS vs. Ed Sayres,ASPCA

Best Friends Tells Rescuers to Shut Up

HSUS Defends Wilkes County Massacre

smitte21

I agree... the shelters need to reassess their management of the dogs. I worked at a no kill shelter when I was in college so I have seen it first hand and we never turned away any dogs. Can't really call it a no kill shelter when you really aren't taking any animals in and are just turning them away can you? Seems a little oxy-moronic as you'd actually have to take the animals in first. Turning them away is just sending them off to die anyway. The Winograd book is a very eye opening book but I doubt they've ever read it or attempted to put any of it into practice.

__________________
Proud owner handler of AKC/UKC Ch. Olde Fashion Agent 99, CGC, TDInc. and Beauregard Smith, CGC

www.savybassets.net

Kirska

I'm sure it's possible in some areas, but here it would be completely impractical. Very very few no-kill shelters are open intake. Yes they exist but they are not the norm. The shelter I am at can get as many as 1000 intake requests in a single week. They are able to adopt out around 3000-4000 dogs a year. As a comparison the pound in Dallas puts down over 30,000 dogs a year (only in Dallas, not including suburbs or other kill shelters). It's been estimated that in the entire DFW metroplex about 200,000 are put down per year by shelters. The numbers just don't work. They can properly care for the dogs they have or they can take in all of them. Not both. You can't fault them for that.

It's worth noting that the majority of the dogs come from being pulled from a kill shelter. And most of them are dogs that are going to be killed. If Anabelle had entered a city shelter she would've been euthanized for health and age.

"No-kill" means you do not euthanize animals in your care for health, space, or behavior, unless it is in the dog's best interest to be euthanized for mercy like if they are suffering immensely. Nothing more, nothing less.

In a perfect world all shelters would be open intake no-kill, but we don't live in that world. Maybe one day.

__________________
Mom to Anabelle and Lila, rescued ladies and Harley, Corgi/Beagle/Basset/?? mutt

"Saving just one dog won't change the world, but it surely will change the world for that one dog." - Richard C. Call

Kirska

FWIW I agree that many problems could be solved with better leadership and direction in shelters, both public and private. But it's much easier to sit back and point out there's a problem than it is to solve said problem. And if someone isn't doing anything to help the situation, I don't think it's fair for them to criticize (not you specifically necessarily, but in general).

I have been to meetings with the leader of the shelter I'm involved in between him and groups of volunteers that have a vested and proven interest in solving the problem and they are always very heated and very difficult, but in the end everyone is working towards the same goal. Not that he is difficult, quite the opposite, but there is only so much he is able to do with the manpower and resources available to him.

__________________
Mom to Anabelle and Lila, rescued ladies and Harley, Corgi/Beagle/Basset/?? mutt

"Saving just one dog won't change the world, but it surely will change the world for that one dog." - Richard C. Call

Tuesday

This is why adopting a dog from a shelter actually saves two dogs instead of just one. The adopted dog gets rescued from the shelter into a home and opens up a space for the shelter to be able to take in a new homeless dog.