Once the decision has been made to adopt a homeless animal from a shelter, one must consider what animal is suitable for their lifestyle. Dogs are remarkable creatures that come in all shapes and sizes and have been man’s best friend for over 30,000 years (Stanglin, 2012). Adopting a dog from a shelter or rescue awards many benefits. Shelter and rescue groups offer an array of dogs that vary in size, color, and age; thus, allowing one to adopt a seemly companion. Despite the efforts of animal shelters and rescue groups, “5 million to 7 million companion animals enter animal shelters nationwide every year, and approximately 3 million to 4 million are euthanized” (“Pet Statistics,”). Dogs give their owners companionship and unconditional love; and are also conducive to good health. Plus, saving a dog’s life makes you a hero.
First, adopting a dog allows you to search for and find an exact match. Be aware of your hopes and wishes before selecting a dog breed; likewise, be informed about the size, temperament, grooming needs, and health issues of different breeds. It is a ridiculous, but popular belief that when adopting a dog you do not know what you are getting (“Shooting down common,” 2009). On the contrary, all shelters and rescue groups guide health and behavior screenings before a shelter animal is available for adoption (Kirby, p. 64-65). Almost all shelter and rescue dogs are spayed or neutered (Kirby, p.69-70). Shelters and groups provide detailed information, including the age, breed, and demeanor, upon request (Kirby, p.66-67). Since the ASPCA’s Meet Your Match program launched in 2004, pairing an adopter’s preferences with a dog’s habits and traits has become increasingly easy. Using available resources can guarantee ...
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...eved from http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/KS19.html
9. Pets for the elderly: Research. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://petsfortheelderly.org/research.html
10. Nicholson, D. (2012, February 7). Women with HIV/AIDS pets make a difference. Examiner.com. Retrieved from http://www.examiner.com/women-s-health-in-detroit/women-with-hiv-aids-pets-make-a-difference
11. Pet ownership reduces stress, benefits health. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.parentgiving.com/elder-care/pet-ownership-reduces-stress-benefits-health/
12. Wells, D.L. (2007). Domestic dogs and human health: An overview. [Electronic]. “British Journal of Health Psychology,” 1(12), p.145-156. doi: 10.1248/135910706X103284.
13. Woolf, N. (2012, January 9). Are there too many dogs and cats? naiaonline.org. Retrieved from http://www.naiaonline.org/naia-library/articles/are-there-too-many-dogs-and-cats/
Animals are beloved creatures among the human race, and are deeply cared for. As caretakers of pets, those caretakers have a responsibility to these animals. One of those responsibilities includes making sure all animals are properly taken care of and are placed in a loving home. Many of these poor animals, mostly cats and dogs, are cast unwanted onto the streets to fend for themselves. Once they are cast out, where are they to end up? The ones that survive being discarded by neglectful owners are usually found and taken to a nearby animal shelter. These shelters are set up and designed for stray animals to be taken care of until a new owner can be found. Shelters also graciously accept pets from owners who choose to surrender their animals, and are re-homed by the shelter. Some of these shelters have what is known as a no-kill policy, which states that any animal fit to be adopted out, will be. Other shelters do not have this policy, and will euthanize a healthy animal for a variety of reasons. The most common reason for euthanizing a healthy animal is space. Most shelters are not well funded, and cannot afford to take care of a large number of animals; unfortunately, more animals are being discarded than are taken in by local shelters. Though most people would claim that killing animals to make space is wrong, there are actually many practical reasons for it; in most cases shelters that lack a no-kill policy are better for the animals in the long run.
Most people are familiar with service dogs and have seen them in action. Animal-assisted therapy is similar service animals in that an animal-human healing partnership is being created. However, the difference is that therapy pets are typically used to treat a mental disability whereas people with physical disabilities use service dogs to help them in many ways. Therapy animals are used in a wide variety of places, such as, hospitals, prisons, nursing homes, therapy sessions, mental healthcare facilities, and even in people’s homes. These amazing animals are used on a wide variety of different disorders, but they are utilized mostly by people suffering from depression, anxiety, and PTSD. For people with these mental health disorders, everything in live can be difficult and challenging, however with the help of animal-assisted therapy, their mood, motivation, and life can dramatically improve. Anyone who hears about these brave, loving animals soon falls in love with them. From a medical standpoint, there have been many successful studies and the support for animal-assisted therapy still continues to grow in doctors and therapists across the nation.
There are many different dog breeds and they all have different temperaments, which is partly why many dog lovers are sometimes particular to one breed than to others. Although not all seemingly unique breed behaviors are actually breed specific, most importantly aggression. A recent study indicates that dog owners’ conduct, not the dog’s breed, could be key to predicting whether or not a dog will be aggressive. Research which could undeniably stop breed discrimination, and confront strict laws against certain breeds based on the premiss that they are inherently dangerous. According to the study, the type of training an owner uses plays the most significant role in how their dog will interact with humans, stranger or family alike, than the type of breed they are.
Ideally, pet supply would be equal to the demand for wanted pets. There may never be enough caring homes for all the pets as is evident by the fact that only about 25 percent of the pets in shelters are ever adopted. F...
“Certainly animals do not have the same abilities as humans. They can’t talk, write books, or drive cars, but neither can some humans. Do we say that humans who lack these abilities have no value and no rights? Certainly not…” (Animal Liberation 31)
Service dogs are selected and trained by organizations such as Canine Companions for Independence. These organizations choose potential service dogs by looking at a dog’s ancestral history. The health history of the dog is reviewed along with the health history of the dog’s parents. Sometimes dogs are bred to be service dogs. They can even be bred to be smaller or bigger depending on the tasks that may need to be completed . The cost of selecting and training dogs to become a servi...
The evidence that pets are not considered very important in the United States is easy to find – as Bernard E. Rollin and Michael D.H. Rollin state: “we acquire these animals while knowing nothing of their needs and natures, then get rid of them because they cannot help those needs and natures…we adopt them on a whim, and get rid of them when it passes…” (Rollin & Rollin “Ethics and Companion Animals” 546). Overpopulation of companion animals like dogs and cats presents perhaps the most clearly visible dilemma – “although no completely reliable statistics exist, it is estimated that between 6 and 10 million dogs and between 7 and 10 million cats were humanely killed in pet shelters in the United States in 1990” (Palmer “Killing ...
Correa, Julio E., Davis, Marquinta F., Ruffin, Wilma J., Ebert, Robert A. Floyd, James G. “Dog Companionship and Its Benefits to Humans” Alabama Cooperative Extention System(ACES) Nov 1999. Web 21 Dec.13
Countless lives locked away in cages and forgotten about have overwhelmed our society, it has left blood stains on our history as a species and if history has taught us anything, it’s that we have a choice to change our ways of adjusting to situations. A war which was fought in pursuit of ending such criminal means, yet we as human beings do little to nothing to end the horrific crimes of animal deaths in shelters. It is no secret that this world has become infused with problems that have extended from one side of the globe to the other. Amongst these problems lies a terrible truth: nearly every year, sums of almost eight million cats and dogs have been placed in shelters around the world. Out of these vast numbers, half will be euthanized; that equals to one animal being put down every 8 seconds. Animals that are not adopted are kept in shelters until they find a home. Most of these shelters do not have enough space or resources to care for the animal. Only 15% of dogs and 2% of cats that enter animal shelters are reunited with their owners. The majority of pets are obtained from acquaintances and family members. Twenty-six percent of dogs are purchased from breeders, 20 to 30 percent of cats and dogs are adopted from shelters and rescues, and 2 to 10 percent are purchased from pet shops. In addition, only 56% of dogs and 71% of cats that enter animal shelters are euthanized. The 10% of the animals received by shelters have been spayed or neutered, while 78 percent of dogs and 88 percent of cats are not spayed or neutered, in 2009 Statistics from animal shelters in 55 counties in WV (West Virginia) shows that nearly 54% of all animals entering shelters are euthanized, The euthanasia rates ranged from the lowest at 5% to the highe...
Do you know that if you buy a pet from a pet store, there will be some animals die in the shelters? Do you also know that every year there are thousands of sheltered animals are euthanized—mercy killing— because there is no space for them? Many people buy pets rather than adopt from shelters because they think they are healthy, purebred and well-behaved. But actually the sheltered animals may be healthier, happier and much cheaper. In the recent years, more and more people decide to adopt animals since there are numerous advantages such as changing a homeless animal’s whole life, reducing illegal trade and puppy farms and benefiting from long- term advice and support.
They say that a dog is a man’s best fried, but they don’t tell you about the overall cost, responsibility, or convenience about adopting one. Dogs are supposed to bring so much joy to a household, but sometimes they can only fill a void for a short amount of time. When a dog owner buys a dog, do they actually research the things that they are about to get in to? When I bought my dog, Skye, I never really looked into is issues; I just looked at the benefits. I love Skye to death, and I guess I could say that she also loves me to death. Even though someone rescuing a dog may think they are doing something great; they are causing an issue on how they will forever live their life.
The bottom line is that most people who decide to purchase or adopt a companion animal simply do not realize the responsibility they will be taking on for the next one to fifteen (+) years. It is not fair to say that most people do not have good intentions in their decision to acquire a pet, especially those who rescue an unwanted pet from a neighborhood shelter. What is important is that people become educated about the acquisition of a new pet and the responsibilities that accompany the addition. When rescuing an animal from a shelter or humane society, it is required that the owner spays or neuters the pet within thirty days of date of adoption. Usually, a portion of the fees acquired at the time of adoption is used for the spay/neuter surgery. Thomas Shermerhorn,VMD acknowledges that dogs and cats can be spayed quite early (about 8-10 weeks) without the risk of any long-term problems-well before the first heat, which usually happens about six months of a...
"The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Consensus Development Program: The Health Benefits of Pets." NIH Consensus Development Program. Web. 30 Oct. 2011.
From family dogs to strays, you never know what dogs will turn up in shelters. Going into a shelter to volunteer you have to be fast acting, strong and firm. Walking dogs who have never been on a leash can be hazardous when walking them by dog aggressive dogs. Dog fights through cages can be dangerous to both dogs. Do not let that scare you away, the rewards of knowing you are helping that animal pay off in the end. New dogs constantly come into the shelters as others get adopted. Every time you volunteer, whether it is everyday or on the weekends, you will see new faces of people who have the same passion for animals. You make friends along the way four legged or two they still are happy to see your face
Dogs are wonderful creatures. They are loyal, dependable companions if given the opportunity. In recent years I have come to the opinion that we could learn something from these animals. We should also take a look at the manner in which they are being treated. Abandonment, irresponsible breeding, and neglect are only some of the ways that humans are failing the canine species.