Ever since I was a child, I have had a love for animals, especially the unwanted ones. My sister and I were always bringing home stray pets that we found on our way home from school. I remember one time the whole family went to pick out a new puppy. When we went into the pen, all the puppies came running to us jumping all over each other fighting for attention. The larger stronger ones were stepping on the smaller, weaker ones. In the back, in the bottom of the pile, getting squashed by all the other puppies but not giving up was the one we had to have. He was a mixed breed, my father called him a Heinz 57. He resembled a Doberman Pincher but he had big floppy ears. He was half the size of the other puppies. He was the runt of the litter but he was the king of our house. Can you guess what we named him? King of course!

Growing up, I never realized how many unwanted animals there were. In Massachusetts alone there are thousands of dogs and cats for adoption. One of the biggest contributory factors to this is over breeding. People need to be educated about the need to spay and neuter their pets. What was once a personal preference is now anecessity. A lot of people just don't understand how important it is. Say your neighbor gets a female cat and does not have her spayed. In her first year of life she can have up to two litters of 4-6 kittens. Lets say 7 of those kittens are female and they each have 2 litters and those 2 litters have two litters. In three years you'd have 685 kittens! There are just not enough homes. Some people have male cats and they think "My cat can't have kittens so I'm not going to neuter him." Well if your neighbor doesn't spay her female then you are both responsible. So you can see why it is very important to spay or neuter your pets. There are various spay and neuter programs for people with limited income. Contact your local animal shelter for more information.

In addition to over breeding, we have people who bring a cute little puppy or kitten home only to find they grow up and are not so cute and little anymore. They find out that it's actually a lot of work so they don't want them anymore. This one hurts me the most. You wouldn't give your children away just because you have to feed them and take them out, would you? Most people would say no but every day the animal rescue leagues and shelters all over the country take in dogs and cats for that very reason. People really need to think about what life is like with a pet before they get one.

Abuse and neglect is sadly very common in the animal control and rescue fields. People take their not-so-cute-anymore dogs and tie them to a tree or post in the back yard and forget about them. Ingrown collars and emaciation are common effects of this. Plus, think about how scary it would be to be tied outside all night. I wouldn't want to do it. If you wouldn't like something done to you, don't do it to your pets!

Finally there are the 'puppy mills'. Animals are kept in small unclean cages their entire lives and bred over and over until they die. The offspring are mostly sold to pet stores. These animals often die of infection and disease from the unclean environment or starvation from being ill cared for.

Places like that across the country are being busted by the SPCA and animal control officers. The animals that are confiscated become evidence and can not be adopted right away. They are shipped to foster homes and different shelters that have room until the court trial against the breeder is over. Then finally, sometimes years later, they are adopted into loving homes.

There are many different kinds of Rescue facilities and shelters. Some are for specific breeds, some are for only small animals, some cats only, the list goes on but they all have the same goal - to stop the suffering of animals. These facilities are mainly funded by donations. The medical expenses can be astronomical. Animals entering a shelter will receive vet check ups and any shots they need and will be spayed or neutered. On top of that, a large percentage of them usually need medical care for an existing condition, for instance heartworm or intestinal parasites. Often, the cost is high and it is all paid for by donations and adoption fees.

Some people think "I can get a free kitten from an ad in the newspaper. Why would I want to pay $120 for one?" Well, adoption fees are charged for three reasons: 1) To help pay medical costs. 2) To help support the shelter, although there is not much left after the medical costs. 3) Because people tend to think longer and harder about how much they want a pet when they have to pay for it.

In conclusion, I'd like to encourage people to donate to their local shelters. Donations don't have to be monetary. You can donate food, blankets, toys, or even your time. Also Please spay or neuter your pets. Animals can't speak for themselves so we all have to do our part.

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