Be the Voice

Unlike humans, animals such as cats and dogs are voiceless. They cannot speak out against the injustices and cruelty imposed on them. Homeless animals cannot tell their story the way humans can. A homeless dog cannot communicate the suffering he is experiencing by living in the harsh conditions of the street. He cannot express the agonizing pain he feels every night due to a tumor on his stomach. Instead he is restrained and can only cry in hopes that maybe someone will listen. The cruel reality is they cannot tell their story. So who is there to be their voice?

Not only are these animals forced to go through life voiceless, they are victims of dehumanization. Although animals such as cats and dogs are not humans, fully dehumanizing them is stripping away their emotion. This consequently leads to the mistreatment of animals in society. By displacing their emotion, empathy is completely lost.

Despite being non-human, animals are entitled to basic rights and equal consideration this means a life free of exploitation and suffering.  Unfortunately our society is not always mindful of the injustices towards animals. The reality is pain and suffering are universal. The feeling of starving is no less excruciating whether you are a dog or a human. A large amount of animals are forced to live in the harsh conditions of the street or euthanized in animal shelters. An estimated 4 million animals are euthanized each year in the United States. That is 300,000 a month and over 11,000 each day.  It would be remarkable to say there was one solution but there is not. The issue of animal welfare is complicated and a result of various different aspects.

           

 Approximately 7.6 million companion animals enter animal shelters nationwide every year. Of those, approximately 3.9 million are dogs and 3.4 million are cats (ASPCA). These numbers are huge. Especially for animal shelters solely funded by the government and private donations.  In 2013, Safe Haven No Kill Sanctuary was one of the many no kill shelters forced to close its door. While privately owned animal shelters are mostly no kill, they struggle to financial sustain themselves with the sole source of donations. The issue is systematic and further complicates this issue with the different contributing factors.  When these animals’ shelters are thrown hundreds of animals without the means to support them, they are forced to make decisions. The decision is far too often death.  About half of animals entering the animal shelter system are euthanized (ASPCA).  

It is easy to point figures at the animal shelter system, but an astounding amount of power lies in that of a pet owner.  The issue of animal overpopulation is only exuberated when animals are not spayed and neutered. By not spaying and neutering animals, they are at risk of bringing unwanted animals into our society. This increases the number of animals fending for survival in the streets or an animal shelter. Upon entering this world their chances of survival are unfairly staked against them. People often offer a variety of reasons on why they do not spay their pets. The reality is they are not well informed about the impact not spaying animals has on their wellbeing and the well being of. Some people breed because they want a purebred animal, when in fact 1 in 4 animal in shelters is purebred. Other pet owners say the cost is unfeasible but most regions in US offer low spay rates and subsidized vouchers programs to ensure the cost is reasonable for most. Failing to spay and neuter fuels a vicious cycle that our shelter care system is simply not equip for.  Only 10% of animals that enter animal shelters are neutered. This indicates these “at risk” homeless animals are freely reproducing more animals without ownership. This means animals Animal welfare cannot merely attributed to how the shelter care system deals with problems, it is about the root of the problem.

http://www.muchlove.org

http://www.aspca.org/animal-homelessness/shelter-intake-and-surrender/pet-statistics

http://www.examiner.com/article/safe-haven-sanctuary-locks-doors-aspca-euthanizes-some-resident-dogs

Karen