Why are dogs in shelters?

Why are dogs in shelters? There are many reasons for dogs to be in shelters. This included pets being abandoned due to living expenses, having no time to take care of them, housing rules, etc. However this population doesn’t account for all animals in shelters. Stray animals are also impounded in order to find these domesticated animals a home.

Stray pets are pets who are found on the street. These pets are those who have lost their homes due causes like owners leaving a window/door open, losing their homes due to natural disasters, etc. According to the article “No “Easy Answer” to Growing Number of Stray Dogs In The U.S., Advocate Says” by Samantha Raphelson “In Houston, Texas, alone, there are more than 1 million stray dogs, according to the city’s pet shelter, BARC. After Hurricane Harvey hit this summer, thousands of dogs were rescued from floodwaters.” Yes this is only accounting for one area, specifically Houston, Texas, but it’s impossible to count how many strays there are in the world. It is worth noting that according to the ASPCA “About 710,000 animals who enter shelters as strays are returned to their owners.” Stray pets aren’t the end of the list. Pets who are impounded due to animal rescue/control must also be accounted for.

According to The Humane Society The estimated number of rescue groups and animal sanctuaries in North America is 10,000 (number found in 2014. There are no statistics based on how many pets are impounded due to animal cruelty however it’s not a far-fetched to assume it is a big number that contributes to pets being in shelters.

Topic: Abandonment

Why do people abandon the dog that they have bought/adopted?

Pets are abondoned due to:

  • owners having no time for pets
  • pet illnesses
  • behavioral problems
  • costs (general care/grooming)
  • fashion trends fading

Due to a lot of these factors pets are returned to shelters, especially with fashion trends. Much like with Game of Thrones with the mass adoption/mass impoundment of huskies, or 101 Dalmatians and the impoundment rates of Dalmatians in 1997. Because of these “trends” people view these adopted pets as an accessory rather than an individual life. Of course there are other factors which contribute to abandonment rates (illnesses, behavioral problems, housing rules, etc).

https://www.petfinder.com/pet-adoption/dog-adoption/pets-relinquished-shelters/

Why People Abandon Animals

 

Pet Abandonment

https://www.peta.org/blog/game-of-thrones-abandoned-huskies/ – numbers of huskies being abandoned

https://www.petfinder.com/pet-adoption/dog-adoption/pets-relinquished-shelters/ – percentages given based on why pet owners abandon.

 

Adoption and Its Benefits

There are many reasons and benefits as to why people should adopt their dogs and I am going to talk about 4 of the major reasons and benefits of adopting.

One of the reasons and benefits why people should adopt is because it gives the dog a second chance at life. Many animal shelters are overcrowded with abandoned dogs and one of the solution to the overcrowding problem is euthanizing them, or better known as “putting down the dog”. According to ASPCA, every year, about 3.3 million dogs are put in shelters nationwide and 670,000 dog are euthanized. Adopting a dog from the shelter helps save them from being euthanized. Also, many of the dogs in the shelters were either abused and tortured by their previous owners or they were strays. By adopting them, they get to have a chance at being loved and cherished.

Another reason and benefit to adoption is that it it costs less to adopt than buying. According to the Animal Humane Society, the standard adoption fees ranges from $115 to $660 and the dog is already fully examined, tested, spayed/neutered if necessary, and given all the required shots, like the rabies shot and vaccinations. Based on several different sites, buying a dog can cost anywhere from 3 hundred dollars to 15 hundred dollars at a local store and 15 hundred to 5 thousand dollars for designer dogs. Buying a dog does not include spaying/neutering and if purchased from a breeder, you have to pay additional transport fees.

The third reason and benefit why people should adopt is because it supports animal shelters and discourages puppy mills. Adoption helps fund the animal shelters through application fees. Also, when a dog is adopted, it creates space for other dogs to take its place. Adoption discourages puppy mills because people will not buy from them if they are adopting and without a demand for the dogs, there is no supply required.

The last reason and benefit I will talk about is that to adopting is that it’s been proven that owning a dog helps lead to a longer and healthier life both physically and mentally. According to Friedmann et al. owning a dog helps decrease loneliness, depression, stress, and anxiety, and promotes exercise. This is also the reason why there are animal assisted therapy. Its been proven by Linda Handlin et al. that oxytocin are released when there is a mutual human and dog interaction and the better the relationship between the owner and the dog, the more oxytocin is released. Oxytocin is a hormone that helps lower blood pressure, decreases anxiety and stress, and induces pain relieving and sedative effects. In another study done by Friedmann et al., they found that patients who was just discharged from the coronary care unit and owned dogs lived a year longer than the patients without dogs.

The Process of Adoption

 

According to the Humane Society of the United States, 6-8 million animals end up in the shelters and about half of those animals will never be adopted. About 25 percent of pets in shelters are purebreds, some of these animals are abandoned and others come from breed-specific groups. Most shelter and rescue groups conduct thorough behavioral analysis of each pet to ensure they are a right fit for your family. These same groups can provide advice and additional help to ensure that the relationship with your new pet is the best it can be for the rest of the pet’s life and you don’t have to go at it alone.

There are reasons why people are looking for a specific dog for adoption. According to the study “Why Did You Choose This Pet?: Adopters and Pet Selection Preferences in Five Animal Shelters in the United States,” 26.8% of people think that the most important reason a specific dog was chosen was appearance. 18.5% of people think personality and temperament of a dog were the most important factors. 11.3% of people think that behavior of a dog was the most important factor that impacted their adoption choice. And only 8.7% of people chose their dogs due to its child friendly behavior.

Pet adoption is not an easy process, sometimes you can’t find the one you are looking for right away. Sadly shelters receive new animals every day and it’s worthwhile to keep checking back or to be placed on a wait list, so you can kept aware of any potentials that match your preferences. Organizations such as the shelterpetproject.org can help you prepare your home  for the arrival of your pet and how to help them adjust to their new home.

The question to ask is what kind of pet is the best fit for your home. Do you have enough time to devote to the daily needs of a dog, including the walking and waste pick-up. Does anyone have allergies to consider when choosing a pet. Doing your research in advance will make your search easier and increase your chances that your new pet will be in their forever home.

 

 

Why do people prefer to buy dogs?

Most people want to have a specific breed of a dog such as a purebred or a designer hybrid breed. According to APPA, 34% of dogs are purchased from breeders and only 23% of dogs are adopted from the shelters. The main reason for that is fashion. In the mid-1950s the popularity of poodles led to a change in fashion and a poodle skirt became a new fashion trend. Media also plays a role in the new breed trends. An example is the Disney movie 101 Dalmatians. According to the article “Forty-two Thousand and One Dalmatians,” after the release of the film, the breed registration for Dalmatians increased dramatically, it went from 8,170 puppies to 42,816 puppies.

The dog’s behavior is a determining factor as well. People want to have a trained and well-behaved dog that the shelters can’t guarantee. If the certain dog breed is prone to an aggressive behavior, the people won’t buy this type of dogs. According to the same article, in the 1990s there was an increase in number of deaths by Rottweilers in the United States, and the registrations of Rottweilers decreased by 83% over the next decade.

People want to know the history of a dog as well the medical conditions. Some people buy the dogs for a specific purpose- for therapy, service or protection. Some people don’t have a choice, but to buy a dog because they have disabilities. Cultural and social factors play a role. Some people are used to buy dogs, so they don’t even consider an adoption. Some people are not prepared for adoption because it takes a lot of time to adopt a dog and then to take care of it. It’s more convenient for them to buy a dog.

Adopt Not Shop

Why are so many dogs being abandoned and end up in shelters?

A lot of people still buy dogs because they want to have “reputable, registered” breeders which can cost several thousand for a purebred. These “purebreds” come from puppy mills or boutique pet shops which only want to get profits and don’t care about the well-being of dogs. The dogs end up in the shelters because they were abandoned by owners, lost homes due to natural disasters, rescued from being eaten as a delicacy, aggressive towards previous owners.

Resources

https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/top-reasons-adopt-pet

https://www.pawfriendly.com/petcare/no-kill-animal-shelters.shtml#.XNC4zzZK2Ds