6 Myths about Animal Shelters, SPCA's etc.

1. "Shelter Pets are Mean or Have Problems". Shelters do not want to adopt out a mean or dangerous pet, especially when there are so many nice ones in the shelter for no fault of their own. Shelters will euthanize any pet they feel is unsafe for adoption. Some pets are in the shelter simply because the owner was forced to move and could not take the pet with them, the owner died, or some other situation, it is not always the pets fault. One thing people need to know when they get a dog from any situation, it should attend Obedience lessons, shelters sometimes offer discounts for these lessons.

2. “If they Cared, the Pets would be Free!”. Animal shelters are non-profit. This does not mean they can afford to give animals away for free. Shelters have to pay bills too, this not only includes the veterinary bills on the animals, but also the power bills, building rent, and so on. Some will say people are more committed to pets they paid for, and while this is is not the only reason why shelters charge what they do. Every shelter has different “adoption fees” according to their expenses. Some shelters are able to give away pets in some situations, as with senior animals who would normally be euthanized. Some shelters have “barn cat” programs where they adopt out, for free, feral cats who are fixed and suited for barn cats. If shelters started giving away all their pets, for free, they would soon have to shut their doors and close down.

3. “I Found it”. Many shelters ask for people to pay to relinquish, or surrender, their pets, so people wishing to avoid paying often say they found the pet, and it was a stray. This is actually harmful to the pet. Shelters treat strays differently than owner relinquished pets. A healthy pet surrendered by its owner, can often go into the adoption program fairly quickly. A stray pet must remain in a cage to see if an owner is going to claim it, this stresses the animal out more. Ultimately when people come to adopt pets, they are more likely to adopt one that has a known history, rather than a stray. Some shelters get so many owner surrendered pets, they do not even put the unclaimed strays up for adoption. When you surrender your own pet, you can tell the shelter its name, its likes and dislikes and if it has had any medical history. All these things make your pet more likely to get a new home. A stray should be admitted as a stray, in hopes its owner will find it, but your own pet, should be admitted as your own pet.

4. “No Kill Shelters are Better”. No-kill animal shelters profess that they do not euthanize any animal, but if you think about this, it is not realistic. It means they are keeping animals alive in a shelter situation which they may not enjoy, and it means they are turning away a lot of animals because, as we all know, more animals are born than there are homes for. If they are not euthanizing the animals, it only means, somebody else is. I would certainly not discourage anyone from adopting from a no-kill shelter, but a person who is looking for a pet should look at other shelters too, rather than frowning on them because they are forced to do the dirty work as a result of people who have not spayed or neutered, their pet.

5. “Cats and Dogs Only”. Shelters often also get other animals, hamsters, rabbits, and birds. I have even seen pot belly pigs, and pheasants in animal shelters. They are the best place to look when you want a pet. Often the smaller animals come with their cages or they may be available at a lower cost.

6.  "Shelters Kill Pets". Some times people are scared to turn a stray pet into the shelter for fear that they will kill it. In truth, by law, shelters have to wait a required number of days in hopes that the rightful owner will claim the pet. The law does allow a shelter to euthanize a sick, injured or mean pet after a specified amount of time, usually 72 hours. This does not mean all pets are euthanized this quick. If a pet is considered adoptable, the shelter will have it checked by a veterinarian, vaccinated, and dewormed before putting it up for adoption. Once this investment in the pet is made they are not in a hurry to "kill" any pet. However after a while pets get stressed and shelters get crowded, so in many cases when there are more animals coming in, those who have been there for a long time will get euthanized to give the others a chance. It is a myth that they euthanize all pets after 3 days (which is what I often hear people saying). Even with the 72 hour rule, most shelters only have the vet come once a week (not daily). Shelter staff do not enjoy euthanizing animals, it is only done if they have to.

Shelters exist because we have a need for them, they exist to try to reunite lost pets with their owners, and to find new homes for those who were surrendered.  Without animal shelters we would have thousands of homeless pets wandering the streets in seach of food, packs of dogs would prey on livestock and threaten children.  The goal of animal shelters is to reduce the number of unwanted pets coming through their doors every year, as such they encourage owners to spay and neuter their pets, and not to rush into getting a pet on a whim.  This is  Boddhi, his photo is from Wikimedia,by Clive Rosso. 

Remember, if everyone took better care of their pets, we would not need animal shetlers.