The number of stray pets in the US is alarmingly high, considering we are one of the world’s leading nations. According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, it is estimated that there are approximately 6.5 million pets that enter animals shelters each year. Out of those 6.5 million pets entering only 3.2 million are adopted and about 1.5 million are euthanized (ASPCA). Out of the 1.5 million pets that are euthanized, 80% of them are healthy and treatable and could have been adopted into new homes.
So why are there so many homeless dogs in the street? The reason is that people choose not to neuter their pets. Unfortunately, there are many irresponsible people who randomly decide to get a pup because it's small and cute. Once the dog outgrows its “cute” stage they kick it out like garbage. Once in the streets, these animals reproduce with others and increase the number of homeless animals. Sadly, as hard as may be tried there’s no sure way to prevent these types of people from getting their hands on a dog. But something that can be done is neutering every animal possible at a young age. This will ensure that come what may, these animals won’t run the risk of reproducing and bringing homeless babies into the world.
I myself am a proud dog owner. My dog’s name is T-Bone and he was born on May 27, 2012. I know that it’s extremely cliché for people to say “My dog changed my life!”, but it’s true. My dog really did change my life.
T-Bone came into my life during a dark and rough patch, I had just started college at CSUDH and was so excited to start a new chapter. High School was finally over, and I was finally out in the real world ready to grow. But then life happened and I had to deal with my mother going into a very deep state of depression. Depression is not something easy that you could brush off your shoulder. It real and its intense, and I tried to give my mom all the support I could possibly offer in whatever way needed. But it did drain me. My grades started to decline, and I just couldn’t keep up with the pressure. By the end of Spring semester, I found myself on Academic Probation. That was a low blow for me because I was used to my constant 3.8 GPA, I mean I wasn’t a genius but I was smart. After falling into Academic Probation my financial aid was cut off and I had to drop out of CSUDH and go to Community College. To say I was sad is an understatement.
One day I was driving past an animal shelter and thought that maybe looking at some cute pups my brighten my spirit. That’s when I met him, my baby T-Bone. He was a tiny 6-week old puppy, with dried tears in his eyes, and I couldn’t resist. I immediately called the shelter worker and started the paperwork. I paid a $50 rehoming fee and ever since then he’s been my $50 puppy. He brought so much joy and happiness to my life. There were moments when I would cry, and he would sit right beside me and cry with me. His heart is so pure and full of love that even as a small puppy he would share my sadness. He is now 5 years old and I love him more than I could possibly express. Looking back I realized that adopting a stray dog changed my life. But what if I hadn’t? What if my T-bone had been one of those poor victims who end up euthanized each year? It broke my heart and made passionate about advocating neutering. These animals are amazing, and they don’t deserve to be euthanized because someone decided neutering was not necessary. They depend on us as humans to look out for them. Euthanized animals not only die a lonely death, but they die feeling rejected and ignored.
This is T-Bone. He was rescued from a shelter and was properly neutered before adoption. He now lives a happy life, and will not add to the number of shelter dogs.
"Cubby is a rescue dog. He was found inside a cardboard box on the streets. Two of his siblings had died due to the cold. He's now in a loving home and will never contribute to the homeless dog population." -Leslie V.
"I love my Benny so much it hurts. I rescued him from a puppy mill and neutered him to ensure he never runs the same fate as his parents." -Jess C.
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