The state of California is experiencing an overcrowding and euthanasia crisis in its animal shelters.
Every day, nearly 500 cats and dogs are euthanized in California. In Los Angeles, shelters are double their capacity when it comes to dogs and cats. There are often several dogs stuck in kennels meant for just one. In the United States , around 920,000 animals are euthanized per year, and in California, 62,882 animals are euthanized yearly. Black cats have the highest rate of euthanasia, and the most euthanized dogs are pit bulls.
A no-kill shelter does not mean that no animals are euthanized, it simply means that the shelter needs to have an animal save rate over 90%. However, with the influx of animals in California, it has been difficult for shelters to achieve this status.
A majority of the problem is due to backyard breeding, which is when a non-licensed person illegally breeds animals for profit. Animals, like cats and dogs, are forced to have as many litters of babies as possible in harsh conditions before being left on the streets. The baby animals are then sold without being spayed or neutered and often end up in shelters. The animals born from illegal breeders generally do not receive proper veterinary care and have defects and diseases. Nearly 2.6 million puppies are born annually from backyard breeders and puppy mills. There aren’t many laws and punishments for backyard breeding mainly because lawmakers claim it would be too difficult to enforce.
Additionally, there has been a trend of specific breeds of cats and dogs ending up in shelters across the country. This is because the preference of certain breeds leads to many usually buying from a breeder the pet they want, instead of looking in shelters for an animal. The favoritism of breeds, such as french bulldogs or persian cats, creates a rise in ‘unfavorable’ animals being mistreated and in most cases, left to wither away in a shelter.
However, it doesn’t end there. Another large issue is the amount of dogs and cats not being spayed or neutered. Many pet owners do not fix their animals because they don’t think anything will happen, but when animals are born, they either give away or sell the puppies, kittens, or other animals. Awareness on the issue of fixing animals minimally. Cats typically have two to three litters per year, and have from one to eight kittens per litter. This means that in a span of a few years, a single pair of cats can result in thousands of cats. Many pet owners don’t want to spay or neuter their animals because of the prices. Getting an animal fixed in Los Angeles costs from around 130 U.S. dollars to upwards of 200 U.S. dollars depending on the size and weight of the animal.
Some of the best solutions to this problem are volunteering at a local shelter to help relieve the immense weight they carry, fostering or adopting an animal, or even spreading awareness about the present issues. Fostering not only saves animals from being euthanized, but it allows them to adjust to humans and can help them be adopted.
