ARTICLE: Pets As Christmas Gifts: Good Idea Or Not?

(Originally published on Bubblews~December 22, 2013)

Bubblews Article

With the Christmas season upon us there probably is not a better way to express the idea of giving than to adopt a shelter pet and give the gift of life to that pet; this is especially true when adopting a pet in a high kill shelter. Whether a shelter pet is from a high kill shelter or a no-kill shelter, both types of shelters are overwhelmed and crammed with unwanted pets and by adopting a pet, especially during this time one is giving a chance for a new life, new home to that shelter pet. However! Is it a good idea or not?

The Pros:

I've had cats ever since I was five years old, in fact, my very first cat, a "tuxedo" cat, that is a black and white cat and named Babette, was adopted by my mother and yes, given to me as a Christmas gift. Babette became my animal companion and was to live throughout my elementary school years, junior high, high school and even college. I came from a background of people who were "pet" people and knew responsibility in taking care of pets. Since I was introduced to a pet at such an early age, I too learned the responsibility of having a pet and was to have many pets afterwards. To this day, I have two cats, the most recent is Ouija, a cat I adopted from the Grayson County Humane Society, a no-kill shelter all the way in Kentucky and was transported to me. I adopted him and he came into my life on December 1, 2012, so in effect, he was my Christmas present.

As I've indicated, whether pets are in a no-kill shelter or high kill shelters, both types of shelters are overwhelmed with too many pets and not enough people adopting them. The sad statistics for high kill shelters is that as many as one-hundred pets can be killed weekly in one high-kill shelter alone, multiply that by each and every high-kill shelters nationwide, it's not hard to understand that up to three to four million, yes, million cats and dogs are "euthanized" every year. (1)

Therefore by adopting a pet, especially from a high kill shelter at anytime of the year, one is indeed saving a life, and one can't help thinking what better time of the year to save a shelter pet's life than at the Holiday/Christmas time? So yes, adopting a pet at this time of the year and as a "gift" can be a true miracle, especially for that pet. What better way to celebrate Christmas?

The Cons:

There are of course the cons to the concept of adopting a pet as a gift for Christmas and it all has to do with how responsible the adopter and/or recipient of the pet is. The adopter has to realize, that when adopting a pet from a shelter and as a "gift" we're talking about a living creature with feelings and emotions; the pet isn't a disposable or returnable item or commodity.

I hate to say it, but to my mind, pet shelters can often be at fault as well as far as the concept of giving a pet as a gift during the holiday season. So many shelters, whether high-kill or no-kill, are always overwhelmed with too many pets in their shelters and not enough people interested in adopting a pet. What happens then is that during this time of the year, shelters will lower adoption fees, much in the same sense stores will do to entice people to buy commodities and therefore will have spectacular sales for their electronics, shoes, and so forth.

There's a big difference however; one can return an item that was given as a gift such as clothing if it's not the right size or color, but one shouldn't have the same mind-set with a pet; unfortunately this has become a sad fact, that yes indeed, many shelter pets adopted during the Christmas season are sooner or later often returned for a variety of reasons. Those reasons can be anywhere from that cuddly puppy or kitten is now grown and has lost it's "cute appeal, to perhaps the recipient of the "gift" pet not realizing the responsibilities and costs involved with owning a pet.

Bottom line: If one is thinking of adopting a pet as a gift, one needs to give real serious thought of what's involved. This is a living, breathing animal; a life, an addition to the family, and therefore, should be a member of the family for the remainder of the pet's life and not to be gotten rid of when no longer convenient.

Sources:

Shelter Pet Statistics: (1) http://www.humanesociety.org/animal_community/resources/qa/common_questions_on_shelters.html

Shelter Pet Statistics

IMAGE SOURCE~©DESIGN BY MELANIE NEER VIA PHOTOSHOP

ARTICLE: The Disposable Mind-Set Too Often Includes Pets

(Originally Published at Yahoo.Voices formerly Associated Content~4/30/2013)

A slightly different version of this article also appeared at Bubblews~5/17/2013

Bubblews version

ABSTRACT: We sadly live in a time, where not only are inanimate items are considered disposable but living, breathing pets who are often dumped into shelters when they are no longer wanted.

CONTENT:

We seem to be living in an age where everything seems disposable, to be gotten rid of if it doesn't serve our purpose or is useful to us anymore. Perhaps only fifteen or twenty years ago, if one's TV went on the blink for whatever reason, instead of throwing it out, one would've called a TV repairman to fix it; the same could also be said for stereo systems and appliances. Decades ago if one bought furniture, it was often considered an investment of sorts and one kept it for nearly one's lifetime; one may even have handed some of the furniture down to relatives. Now however, instead of getting an item repaired or handing it down, we dispose of it to get a new and improved version of it.

Sadly and tragically, no longer are only inanimate items tossed away like so much garbage, but pets are as well; they have become disposable. I do a lot of crossposting of urgent pets needing to be rescued over at Facebook and I'm aware of the alarmingly high rate of pets being surrendered. Each and every single day, nationwide, pets are surrendered into shelters, particularly high kill municipal shelters. High kill shelters have an open admission surrender policy; these high kill shelters are obligated to take in any and all pets for whatever reason the owner gives. Quite frankly, some of the reasons an owner gives are poor excuses and to my mind a betrayal of trust that the pet may have had with the owner particularly if that owner had the pet for many years.

Here are some of the reasons, which I find rather lame, for why people get rid of their pets:

1). "New Baby":
I really have no idea why people think they need to "dispose" of their pet due to a new baby coming into the family. While I've had cats nearly all my life ever since I was five years old, prior to that, my folks were dog people, and consequently there was a dog, named Candy. When I came into the world, it never crossed their minds to get rid of the dog. In fact I have a rare photo of myself as a baby; I'm not even a year old, and there I am sitting on the living room floor and right next to me was Candy who was a beagle.

2). "Allergies":
Yes, people can be allergic to pets, but what I can't understand is why people surrender pets into shelters due to allergies after having the pet for eight or more years. And guess what folks? Yes I have allergies. Also, when my grandmother was still alive and living with my mother and myself, she developed asthma. Her doctor recommended getting rid of the four cats we had at the time, and what was her response? She got rid of the doctor instead. So yes, she had asthma however she was able to control it via medications.

3). "Moving":
People move for a variety of reasons: perhaps to upgrade to a better living space, foreclosure, or even eviction, yet why does one feel it necessary to surrender a pet or leave it behind due to "moving"? Often I hear that the excuse is that the new place a person is moving to won't allow pets. Well, like duh? If a person truly views their pet as a family member, shouldn't they go out of their way to find a place that does accept pets?

In most cases with moving there is a known time factor involved, and yes even in cases of foreclosure or eviction, it's usually not like one has to move pronto overnight. Some of the saddest cases are the "foreclosure" pets…pets abandoned and left behind. I came across one such case while crossposting urgent cats on Facebook. The former owners left their orange tabby cat behind, the cat mind you was 18 years old! The new tenants upon moving in found the cat and took it to a shelter, a high kill shelter I might add. Diligent crossposting between us all over at Facebook began for "Ginger". In Ginger's case she was lucky as someone was willing to adopt her for the remainder of her "senior" years. But not all stories end happily ever after and in many cases the cat (or dog) will be "euthanized".

Would people "abandon" their human children for the moving excuse if children weren't allowed in a new place? I don't think so, they would go out of their way to find a place that did accept children, so why do people feel it's all right to abandon their pet(s)?

4). No Pets Allowed:
Yes many landlords will have a no pet clause in their lease or he/she may all of a sudden decide no pets allowed even if previously pets were allowed, however there are some loopholes people need to know about. In many cases, despite a no pet clause, if the pet owner has had the pet for at least three months, the landlord can't take legal action or demand the pet owner to give up their pet, so it's wise for people to know the specific pet laws that are in a pet owner's favor and not the landlords.

5). "No Time":
Are people so busy in their lives that they don't have time for their pet? If they can make time for their human children, and other family obligations, then in my opinion so should they for their pets.

6). "Too Old":
I can't think of a bigger sense of betrayal to a pet than when a pet owner surrenders their pet to a shelter due to the pet being old, and especially if that pet owner then wants to get a new puppy or kitten since the "old" pet is no longer cute and cuddly. I came across one such a case only the other night while doing my crossposting over at Facebook. The cat's name was Lola and was two years old, but the owner had only adopted the cat five months ago. Now the owner was surrendering Lola to a high kill shelter. In the "evaluation/questionnaire" asked of the owner why he was surrendering Lola, the person stated, "too big getting a kitten". The cat was only two years old and the person thought it too big and old? Two years old is still practically a kitten in itself! Thankfully since I was tracking to see the fate of Lola, I found out that she was rescued. Of course, there's the other extreme where the pet is say ten, fifteen, or more years old and the owner wants a "new and improved" version. It's when I come across cases like this, I'm sorry, but I hope karma bites the person in the butt and when that person is old gets "dumped" somewhere and abandoned.

7). "Personal Problems"
While there can be many types of personal problems involved, one of the biggest personal problems excuse cited is this scenario. A person has a pet, and may have had the pet for many years, but then a new "love" interest comes into their life. This new love interest pulls a either it's me or the pet threat. Since the idiot, and yes, I'm thinking the person is an idiot to be so blinded by love for the person, that person will stupidly give up the pet, and yes, it is stupid. Sorry, but if a new love interest came into my life, I would practically do a police interrogation and one of the first questions I would ask, "Do you like animals/pets?" If that person said no, well, let's put it this way, I would show the person to the door and say au revoir.

8). "Owner Sick, Hospitalized, or Death"
Here is were careful planning needs to be done in the event a pet owner becomes sick, hospitalized or passes away and needs to make some kind of arrangements before something happens. Many of the pets that are dumped into shelters due to the pet owner getting sick, needing extended hospitalization or perhaps even placed in a hospice or nursing home, and/or possible death, and the main problem may lie when the pet owner's relatives, friends or other family members don't want to be burdened with the pet(s), so they dump it in a shelter. Pet owners should find a person willing to take care of their pet in the event of their getting sick and/or hospitalized, and in the case of the owner's death have very clear instructions about the fate of their pet(s).

To help with making such arrangements, there are two forms one can download. One is a Pet Guardian Form where it can be filled out and one can clearly state who is to take charge of their pet upon their demise. The other form is a Pet Profile, this is a form where one can fill out all the particulars of the pet involved, such as stating whether the pet is spayed/neutered, microchipped, age, breed, etc. I have links to these forms below:

Pet Guardian Form

http://www.gotcats.org/guardian.html

Pet Guardian Form

Pet Profile Form

http://www.gotcats.org/PetProfile.html

Pet Profile Form

What I have personally done is I have several copies of each form and was able to print photos of each cat directly on each form…one copy I have right in full view on my computer desk, while another is on my hallway bookcase shelf, also in plain view. With each set of forms I also have contact info of people to contact/call in case something happens to me. I also carry around on my person when I go out that contact listing.

There are several other "excuses" people will often give for surrendering or abandoning their pets, but the above that I mention are the seemingly more common reasons.

Day in and day out as I spend hour upon hour crossposting the urgent pets that need to be saved and rescued over at Facebook, especially from high kill shelters, I have to admit to being puzzled as to why people have gotten the mind set that pets are disposable, to be gotten rid of as if they were so much garbage. Animals do have feelings just as we humans do, they are living, breathing souls just as we are. They can and do demonstrate many of the emotions we humans feel. They can feel pain, can demonstrate sadness or grief (as in cases where their owner or fellow companion animal dies), they can also demonstrate joy as well.

If a person does decide to adopt a pet, that person needs to realize that they are obligated and responsible to take care of that pet for its entire life. People must wake up to the fact that pets are not disposable commodities. What's really pathetic is that many pet owners probably don't even realize what fate may be in store for that pet they now no longer want and dumped off at a shelter; if people think that their former pet is going to have a happily ever after story, and their pet will be adopted again, they must realize that isn't always the case.

Yes, while many of these surrendered pets particularly in high kill shelters are saved and rescued, the vast majority aren't and are euthanized, a nice way of saying killed, worse yet, not all shelter pets in high kill shelters are killed off by lethal injection, but by shoving these unwanted pets into a gas chamber where they die a slow and agonizing death. Everyday thousands, yes thousands of shelter pets are killed nationwide. In order to stop the needless killing of healthy pets that wind up in shelters, pet owners must view their pet as a family member and take care of that pet forever.

ARTICLE: Gas Chambers and Heartstick Method of Euthanizing Unwanted Shelter Animals: The Horror of This Method of Euthanizing Still Exists

(Originally Published at Yahoo.Voices formerly Associated Content~4/15/2010)

ABSTRACT: Many people aren't aware that the cruel, horrific method of euthanasia by means of gas chambers and heartstick still exist in kill shelters. (UPDATE: I wrote this article some four years ago, to date only about 20 states have banned the use of gas chambers to "euthanize" shelter pets~July 12, 2014)

CONTENT: Having to put an animal down by euthanasia due to an serious illness is never, never an easy decision for the pet owner. We may feel guilty, like we're playing "God" and have no right to end the life of an animal companion that is part of our family, our child, in effect. But neither do we want our beloved "child" to needlessly suffer either. With sadness and overwhelming grief in our heart we take our beloved pet to our vet; we walk into the vet's office with our friend, and gently hold our companion animal for what will be the last time. We pet and caress our friend and talk soothingly, while trying to hold back the tears as the vet injects our friend with the liquid that won't cure but kill, an overdose of the blue or pink liquid, sodium phenobarbital.

I've had cats nearly all my life, since I was five, and while the vast majority of my pet companions, my babies, have lived long healthy lives, I've had to witness the above scene for those who were too ill to be helped, and I'm certain that many readers here who have owned pets have also had to go through this gut-wrenching agony of being faced with the decision of putting our pets down. However, the one solace we all should realize is that at least our pets were put down humanely, gently, and mercifully. Sadly, this isn't the case when it comes to the millions of shelter animals who must be killed due to overcrowding and lack of room for all the unwanted pets. For many municipal high kill shelters these animals are not euthanized humanely but cruelly and terrifyingly in gas chambers. Yes, sadly gas chambers do still exist. If these unwanted pets aren't killed in gas chambers, then another horrific way to "euthanize" them is what is called the heartstick method.

Prior to my involvement with the numerous Facebook groups that are geared toward ending this horrific, cruel way of euthanizing animals, I have to admit I wasn't aware that many unwanted shelter animals were killed by the thousands nationwide and on a weekly basis, if not sooner, via gas chamber or heartstick method. I assumed wrongly that the unwanted pets were put down humanely via lethal injection. One has to ask, why are these methods still being used in the first place? Is it cheaper, or a more convenient to kill animals this way? Surprisingly, the answer to the first part of the question is no, it's not cheaper. The irony is that It actually costs more to kill shelter pets via gas chamber than by lethal injection. According to the Change.org website, to kill an animal by carbon monoxide poisoning costs $4.98 per animal versus $2.29 per animal by lethal injection (EBI=Euthanasia By Injection). One can't help but think then that it's simply more "convenient" for these shelters to kill animals by gas chamber since more animals can be killed at the same time rather than individually by the injection method.

When news came out of what had occurred during Nazi Germany during World War II and it had become public knowledge of the gas chambers that were used to kill millions of Jews in concentration camps, the world was horrified to think that human beings could be killed like this. Therefore, for anyone who is an animal lover, it should be just as horrific to think that these poor innocent cats and dogs, whose only crime was that they weren't wanted, either by pet owners no longer wishing to keep their pet, or by the scores of pets that are allowed to breed, thus creating more litters of unwanted pets, to die this way. There are two types of "Euthanasia Chambers", as they are often called, that are used. The one type is a metal container about the size of a small garbage dumpster and are either top or side-loading, however, to my mind the worse are the "see-through" gas chambers where the gassing of the pets can not only be viewed by the shelter workers, but often by the other pets that are next in line to be killed.

I forced myself and watched with horror not long ago a video of one animal shelter in North Carolina where workers dragged out at least ten dogs to the gas chamber, piled the dogs inside, then locked it up. One of the workers then fed a tube from the carbon monoxide tank and hooked it up into the chamber, then walked away and turned the gas on. You HEAR the sounds of the dogs crying in agony while the gas is killing them. This is all being done while the still live dogs confined in large cages are watching and hearing all of this as their fellow canine friends are being killed. But the video isn't over yet. After an alloted time, the workers then begin dragging or carrying more dogs, mainly puppies out to the chamber, and place them right on top of the dead ones. The next scene shows the "chamber" being lifted up and the dead dogs are dumped in a garbage landfill. Don't be fooled due to the fact that this video was filmed in the late 1990's as this horrendous, cruel procedure of killing shelter animals by gas chamber still continues.

For those of you not familiar with the "heartstick" method of killing an animal, it's just as it sounds, that is a lethal injection is jabbed into the heart. The main problem however, is that quite often, the method and injection isn't done right, and the animal may be subjected to numerous injections before it's killed. Also, technically speaking, the proper method of the heartstick method of euthanizing an animal is to be done only after the animal has been sedated, yet it's not uncommon that sedation isn't used and such is the case in an undercover video Youtube video which was filmed in an animal shelter in Robeson County, North Carolina. The dogs are very much alive, often dragged one by one by long poles with a noose around their necks and done in such a fashion that it almost looks like an assembly line of killing these animals.

How many states still use the gas chamber method of killing animals? To my mind even one state that continues using this method is one too many. There are only about 18 or so states in the United States that to date that have completely banned the gas chamber method of euthanasia, including New York which only banned gas chambers in 2009. Many more states now have bills pending to be passed in legislation. One bill just recently passed by the Georgia House of Representatives and now is heading for approval in the state's Senate is Gracie's Law, H.B. 788. Gracie's Law was so named after a dog that was to be later named Amazing Grace. Grace had been placed in a gas chamber in the Liberty County Humane Shelter in Georgia with a number of other dogs, yet remarkably she survived the 30 minute ordeal of being gassed. If her survival seems a miracle, it's not, as many dogs can often survive the gassing process and have to be gassed all over again. To date however, some of the more "famous" states still using the gas chamber method are Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, Utah, just to name a few. The worse state with the highest ratio of high kill shelters is North Carolina and is the top leader in the number of shelters statewide that uses this horrific form of "euthanizing". And what a joke to call it "euthanasia".

Now many people may wonder and ask, just why are are there so many unwanted pets in the first place to create this tragic situation and where so many unwanted pets are killed in shelters, whether by gas chamber, heartstick or even by injection to begin with? First, there are the puppy and kitten mills that are still prevalent and where animals are bred and bred and bred, over and over again. Thankfully more and more of these mill type breeders are being shut down. These breeders crank out animals like an assembly line and usually wind up in pet stores for sale. And don't kid yourself, it's not just a little local pet shop that sells puppies or kittens from these mills, but also some of those fancy high-priced pet stores in Beverly Hills, California where the likes of celebrities will get their dogs from, and they aren't even aware that those animals are coming from mills.

Then of course, you have people who get pedigree/purebreed cats or dogs, and insist on allowing their pet to breed. Many people are under the erroneous myth and assumption, that their pet, whether pedigree or not, should have at least one litter to make the pet happy and fulfilled. They are then further under the illusion that they easily find homes for the litters of puppies or kittens that are born.

The third reason for so many unwanted pets are those people who insist on adopting a pedigree/purebred pet from a licensed breeder just to have proper "papers" when if they took the trouble, would realize that there are just as many pedigree/purebred pets available at pet shelters and much cheaper. One can often get a purebred pet at a shelter for a mere $100 to $200, while buying from a breeder, can cost them up to $1,200 or even more.

Since I know a lot of pet rescuers, I remember it being told to me that for every single pet, cat or dog, to be adopted from every single shelter in the USA, EVERY single person would have to adopt at least nine pets. This is the grim statistics. Is is a wonder then so many unwanted animals are euthanized? Also, the sad fact is then that for every pet, whether a cat or dog that is bought from a breeder or pet shop, is literally condemning and putting a pet to death that is in a kill shelter.

By now, after reading this, you should feel frustrated, angry and sickened to realize that not only are so many unwanted pets killed routinely in shelters, but by horrific methods, so you may be asking what can I do?

1) First, one excellent suggestion I have is that if you aren't a member of Facebook already, by all means join. The are a lot of groups there that one can join that are dedicated for animal issues, particularly in giving voice to the issue of trying to get laws passed in all states to ban the use of gas chamber and heartstick methods of euthanasia. It is through these groups one can be informed of what is going on an almost daily basis, something one wouldn't have knowledge about by ordinary means, that is the media, since this type of news usually isn't told. There is even one group that was established to encourage Oprah Winfrey, a noted animal lover, to have a show dedicated in informing her viewers that the gas chamber and heartstick method of euthanasia still exists, and there is also a petition that one can sign and will eventually be sent to her.

2). From the sources I've listed below, particularly the Animal Law Coalition website one can find out if your particular state still uses the gas chamber/heartstick method of euthanasia. If you do find out that your state still practices this form of euthanasia, start a writing campaign to your elected officials, from assemblymen, congressmen, senators and governor to encourage them to pass a bill to ban the gas chamber/heartstick method and while yet, would still be considered killing unwanted animals, at least they should be euthanized via lethal injection. And needless to say, get your animal loving friends in on the writing campaign.

3). Do not buy a pet from a breeder or pet store, but adopt from a shelter. You'll be saving a life. Also, if you are personally thinking or know people who want to adopt a pet and they insist on wanting a pedigree/pure bred pet, once again go to a shelter as there are plenty of pedigree/purebred animals waiting for a forever home.

4). If you have just recently adopted a pet, or know someone who has, please, please, please spay/nueter the pet. By doing so, you or your friends will decrease the chance of having unwanted litters that will no doubt wind up in a shelter.

5). Lastly, bring an awareness of the gas chamber/heartstick method of euthanizing to the public. Many people don't realize it's still going on, and this would particularly hold true if you live in a state that still uses these forms of killing animals in shelters. Therefore, write an editorial to your newspapers, contact local TV news stations. The important emphasis is to get the message out of what is going on

Sources:

Listing of Gas Chamber States

This website contains a petition to sign and a graphic video (watch with discretion that is IF you can watch)

Gas Chamber Debate

Should Gas Chambers Be Banned

North Carolina Coalition for Humane Euthanasia

Gas Chamber Euthanasia

Gas Chamber Ban

Petition

Companion Animal Network

Probably one of the best sites to find out about the laws being passed to end gas chamber/heartstick method of "euthanizing" pets in shelters is the Animal Law Coalition

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