By:
Devvy
June 9, 2011
NewsWithViews.com
It's common knowledge at this point that almost all the states of the Union are broke; dozens are in dire straits because of public pension obligations. But, what about areas of expenditures that are directly caused by lack of personal responsibility by citizens of the states?
In this case I'm talking about the sickening pet over population that can be brought under control. Think it silly and trivial? The $2 billion dollar figure is fact and the reason we have this pet over population is because too many people who adopt dogs (and cats) simply will not take responsibility for their pets. I want to tell you my personal experience earlier this year because this problem is simply heart breaking even if you aren't a pet owner.
Last August my little Dusty died suddenly without warning.
My muffin man blew an aorta in his heart; there was simply no way to save him. Dusty was adopted from the Sacramento County Pound (April 2000).
My other little man, Mr. Willy, I had to send to doggie heaven on December 27, 2010.
Willy was about 13 years old and had respiratory problems for quite some time; I had to let him go. There was no Christmas because Willy spent Christmas eve at the vet; I knew he had only a few days left. My handsome boy was also adopted from the Sacramento County Pound (September 1998).
Both times I visited that pound, it was horrible. Cage after cage after cage of desperate faces looking for someone before death comes calling. Abused dogs recovering from starvation, beatings, disease and mistreatment. Puppies found without their mommy. Old throw aways no one wants.
In January 2011, I went looking again for new furry friends for life. If you've owned dogs as I have all my life, the house becomes unbearably empty when our babies die. Armed with my boxes of Kleenex, I started local in Howard County, Texas, where I live; both the county pound and to the non kill shelter where I donate a few dollars each month. I moved on to Midland about 40 miles away and visited both of their county pounds, the SPCA and three no kill facilities. So many faces, I could barely stand to walk the aisles of cages. Lots of used Kleenex. I finally went to PetFinder to continue looking. Much to my dismay, just the State of Texas had listings for more than 340,000 dogs; some cats and a few bunny rabbits and guinea pigs.
Choosing new furry friends has to be done carefully so it works for you and the pet(s). Too many people choose the wrong dog for their situation (like a Great Dane when you live on the 21st floor of a skyscraper and are gone 12 hours a day) and end up dumping the dog at a local pound or shelter.
I looked at about 2,000 dogs and ended up with a list of about eight I wanted to adopt. Owning a dog isn't cheap anymore. I've carried pet insurance for my babies for almost 20 years. There are many very low cost plans that are affordable. One just has to tailor a plan for your dog's age and your budget. I would loved to have adopted all eight on my list, but just not possible. My first adoption, January 22nd was Muffin. She is a sweet, beautiful two year old Westie. A throw away on the street in San Angelo, Texas, turned into a local rescue last Thanksgiving Day.
On March 5, 2011, I adopted my second little girl, Missy.
She was about six months old; found on the street in Odessa, Texas, another throw away. Some kind hearted soul turned Missy into a local shelter. I call her my high octane girl. Both of my little girls are such a joy and are best of friends. I am so blessed to have found them.
Muffin was not spayed and she had heart worm when I adopted her. With careful treatment, she's heart worm free and I had her spayed April 12th. I have pet insurance policies for both of them.
Between five and seven MILLION dogs are euthanized every year because selfish people do not take the time to get them spayed and neutered. The "dog pounds" across this country are overflowing with dogs from every size and description. There are low cost spay and neuter clinics all across this country; some vets will even donate the surgery if you show how much you love your pet, but are having difficult financial times. Vets love their patients, too.
Do people do it? No. When I adopted Dusty I encountered the typical air head in line while waiting to pay the adoption fee. The chick in front of me was groomed with highlighted hair, the nails and make up done. She had a box of adorable kittens. I ask her if she was giving them up for adoption. Yes, because, surprise, surprise, the mother cat got out. I doubt those six kittens made it out of the pound as Sacto County has a very high euthanasia rate. Did it not occur to mush head that if her female cat got out and was not spayed she might get pregnant? I'll bet she never forgets the time for her hair appointment.
We all pay taxes in every county in this country for pet control. Yet, those same taxpayers are too self absorbed to understand that if they don't get their pet spayed or neutered, it ends up costing them more in tax dollars because "the mother just got out" or animals are removed from the homes of cruel people who mistreat them and end up at kill pounds.
It costs a ton of money to operate county pounds. They try to provide what medical treatment they can under strained budgets. Pregnant mothers are dumped who have litters that need to be fed for months before they're available for adoption, drugs to put them down, body disposal, the enormous cost of food and facilities. Because people do not assume the adult responsibility of making sure their pet(s) doesn't reproduce more unwanted animals, those of us do who end up paying more and more in taxes.
We don't have to have this terrible problem in this country, but its gone on for decades. Mandatory spaying and neutering by county pounds isn't enough. Most of the shelter and rescue groups I inquired from don't have the money to spay and neuter every animal they take in but do require the procedure to be done if you adopt. That cost is built into the adoption fee. Unfortunately, too many of them allow dogs and cats to be adopted without making sure they will be fixed. That needs to change. This country doesn't need anymore animals when there are millions who need a home.
If you know someone who has a dog or cat who has not taken the time to get them spayed or neutered, please let them know how important it is to get them fixed. For humane reasons as well as the enormous cost of trying to take care of nearly 10 MILLION dogs and cats taken to county pounds (or picked up on the streets) every year.
Two other problems that need to be addressed. First, county pounds across this country chip dogs and cats. Those chips inserted below the skin are dangerous. Dogs and cats across this country are dying after developing cancer and suffering other serious health problems because of them. Here in Texas, due to activists presenting the facts to county officials, many counties no longer chip dogs and cats. Not only are they dangerous, if the chips don't get read properly by scanners because of multiple frequencies, owners are not located in time and your beloved pet is put down. (See link 2 below)
People like me will not adopt dogs with chips which eliminated a couple on my list. There was an adorable Westie mix named Lexie available in Conroe, Texas. A seven hour for me, but I was willing to make it. However, I found out she has a chip, so I didn't adopt her. I just can't go through the heart break of a friend for life dying six months or a year after I adopt from a horrible cancer tumor simply because county officials and state legislators won't take the time to understand how dangerous those chips are for dogs and cats. Not to mention the state legislators who receive campaign donations from vile corporations like Merck.
If counties want to get more dogs and cats adopted, stop chipping them. When enough people find out about the danger of cancer and those chips, they won't adopt because they can't afford high vet bills and don't want to watch their pet die a horrible death.
While I fully realize shelter and rescue organizations work so very hard to find homes, I encountered a lot of absurd "conditions" for adoption. Questionnaires ten pages long asking every question imaginable under the sun. Many of the questions were too personal and not necessary to adopt a dog, so I simply declined. Dedicated people spend a lot of time, money and love in saving throw aways. I know they want to find good homes, but some I contacted had such arrogant attitudes, you would think they were finding a home for the King of England.
The shelter I adopted Missy from wanted to have someone inspect my yards and home. I honestly don't have a problem with that; too many people don't have secure yards. Fortunately, the lady who volunteers to do that has family only two houses down so they already knew about my house and secure yards. However, just a friendly word of advice from a responsible pet owner - maybe treat us less like criminals instead of people who want a new pet to love and will provide a good, safe home.
A lady sent me email the other day expressing her frustration in trying to adopt from a shelter in Wyoming. She drove the 150 miles only to find the dog had been moved to another facility and the circus ensued. I was appalled. Anyone who is willing to drive 150 miles to adopt a dog is serious about that animal. I think a little more cooperation can go a long way towards making adoption easier for everyone. Otherwise, a dog or cat might be denied a good home simply out of frustration by the person wanting to adopt.
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$2,000,000,000 a year in taxes for a problem we the people can cut down by 90% if everyone takes the responsibility of getting their pet spayed or neutered. $2,000,000,000 a year in taxes badly needed for essential functions and services within the states.
Stay away from puppy mills. Make them unprofitable because they are evil entities in my opinion. Most of my dogs have been from the county pound; my little Keeley who died in 1998 from an enlarged heart, was a throw away on Highway 80 in Wyoming. I found her on the side of the freeway and took her home. She was a treasure. If you have room in your heart and home, please consider adopting from a pound or shelter/rescue first. Thanks, friends.
Links:
1
- Microchip
Implants Linked To Animal Tumors In Research Animals
2 - Microchip
ID For Pets: Are There Cancer Risks?
3 - The
PAWS Bill - Show Me The Money, Microchips and Political Power
4 - Lawsuit
filed against Merck - pet micro chips
5 - MERCK
SUED: HomeAgain® PET CHIP IMPLICATED IN CANCER
6 - What
to Do if Your Cat Gets Fast - Moving Cancer From Microchip Tracking
Devices
7 - Millions
need your help (good info under pictures)
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Devvy Kidd authored the booklets, Why A Bankrupt America and Blind Loyalty; 2 million copies sold. Devvy appears on radio shows all over the country. She left the Republican Party in 1996 and has been an independent voter ever since. Devvy isn't left, right or in the middle; she is a constitutionalist who believes in the supreme law of the land, not some political party.
Devvy's regularly posted new columns are on her site at: www.devvy.com. You can also sign up for her free email alerts.
E-mail is: devvyk@earthlink.net
