To control pet population, owners must be responsible

BY REBECCA MURRAY

Regarding the recent My Life article on the stray dog that was euthanized at the Everett Animal Shelter, I applaud Jennifer Green’s heroic efforts to save the dog she picked up on Everett Mall Way.

However, her story begs another question: Why are so many dogs and cats euthanized in shelters each year?

That is the big picture problem. And there are many reasons for it.

The primary one is too many dogs and cats being born. One unaltered cat and her offspring can produce 420,000 kittens in seven years. One dog and her offspring can produce 67,000 puppies in six years.

People who do not alter their animals and allow them to roam are some of the biggest contributors to this problem.

Compounding the Everett shelter overcrowding problem are hundreds of animals picked up as strays each year. Their owners are unwilling or unable to invest in keeping them safe at home. The failure of owners to contain their pets costs the lives of thousands of animals each year.

At many shelters, a stray must have priority over owner-released animals. Shelters must keep a stray alive for at least 72 hours to comply with the stray-hold requirement, which allows owners three days to find and claim their pets.

That means that as more strays are brought in, space must be made to accommodate them, and other animals’ lives are taken to accomplish that. Of course, some time after an animal’s stray-hold has expired, it too is at risk of being "bumped" to the euthanasia room.

Owner-surrendered pets also take up space at the shelter. There is no stray-hold requirement for them, so they can be adopted, kept alive (space permitting) or euthanized.

The biggest reason for surrendering a pet is lack of time (or desire) of its owner to train, socialize, spend time with, invest in, or care for his companion animal. The result: out-of-control pets are dumped at the local shelter by the thousands.

Most of this boils down to irresponsibility on the part of the owner, for which the animal ultimately pays the price.

It is true that too many unwanted animals are euthanized; however, the euthanasia rate at the Everett shelter (which serves all of Snohomish County) has dropped 20 percent over the last two years and is on par with King County’s rate.

In 2001, Everett took in 3,602 dogs and 4,351 cats. Of those, 56 percent of the cats and 33 percent of the dogs were euthanized: That’s 1,188 dogs and 2,523 cats.

During the feline breeding season alone (June through August 2001) the shelter received 2,554 cats. More than 50 percent were kittens, and more than 70 percent were euthanized. In August alone, the shelter took in an average of 25 cats/kittens per day six days per week.

Mind-boggling isn’t it?

So why don’t more people spay and neuter their pets? Lack of education, motivation, money etc. There are many low-cost alternatives and the shelter has information available on those options.

We must each do our part to stop the killing of adoptable animals. Unless a person is committed to training, socializing, protecting and neutering, he/she is a part of the problem, not the solution.