public service announcement
I'm volunteering at the pound. I want to take a minute for a public service announcement, because a few things I learned really, really upset me yesterday.
SPAY/NEUTER YOUR ANIMALS. The pound- the dinky little pound in Pasco county- gets dozens of abandoned/stray animals every day due to irresponsible pet owners not fixing their pets. They make dozens of babies which get sent to these pounds in droves, and only one or two animals is adopted per day. Do you know how many animals that leaves to be euthanized? It's so awful. A cat can have up to two litters per year, and many of them do. Dogs can have up to three litters per year. These puppies and kittens that you love so much are suffering because no one wants them, but no one wants to stop them being made.
Another thing- please, please, please do not buy your pets from breeders or pet stores. These places are called "puppy farms," and it is an obscene industry. They breed these female animals mercilessly to make their money, and the puppies are treated unfairly and neglectfully until they are given to a 'good home.' The only way this industry will stop is to not support them. Buying a puppy or kitten from them is not 'rescuing' them.
If you're looking to save a life, or just have a cute fluffy kitten, go to your local pound. The normal price for an animal is $50 for a dog and $20 for a cat. That INCLUDES spaying/neutering, and all the recent vaccinations. A great deal, I'd say, especially compared to those $800 puppies at the pet store.
Alyse and I met a cat yesterday that we named King Arthur (or just Arthur) because they just pick names for the animals out of the books (that's how many there are). He was small and gray and played with a tennis ball like a dog would. He's up for adoption, and because he's so cute and friendly, he will probably find a good home. Not all of these animals are so lucky. This could all be stopped if everyone would just fix their pet. Ugh.
I'll step off my soap box now...
SPAY/NEUTER YOUR ANIMALS. The pound- the dinky little pound in Pasco county- gets dozens of abandoned/stray animals every day due to irresponsible pet owners not fixing their pets. They make dozens of babies which get sent to these pounds in droves, and only one or two animals is adopted per day. Do you know how many animals that leaves to be euthanized? It's so awful. A cat can have up to two litters per year, and many of them do. Dogs can have up to three litters per year. These puppies and kittens that you love so much are suffering because no one wants them, but no one wants to stop them being made.
Another thing- please, please, please do not buy your pets from breeders or pet stores. These places are called "puppy farms," and it is an obscene industry. They breed these female animals mercilessly to make their money, and the puppies are treated unfairly and neglectfully until they are given to a 'good home.' The only way this industry will stop is to not support them. Buying a puppy or kitten from them is not 'rescuing' them.
If you're looking to save a life, or just have a cute fluffy kitten, go to your local pound. The normal price for an animal is $50 for a dog and $20 for a cat. That INCLUDES spaying/neutering, and all the recent vaccinations. A great deal, I'd say, especially compared to those $800 puppies at the pet store.
Alyse and I met a cat yesterday that we named King Arthur (or just Arthur) because they just pick names for the animals out of the books (that's how many there are). He was small and gray and played with a tennis ball like a dog would. He's up for adoption, and because he's so cute and friendly, he will probably find a good home. Not all of these animals are so lucky. This could all be stopped if everyone would just fix their pet. Ugh.
I'll step off my soap box now...