| That's how many cats and dogs are put to sleep | | | | United States. Letting or not letting animals die in |
| every year in the US alone. Compared to the | | | | such huge numbers does not necessarily have to |
| 10,000 people that are born every day in the US, | | | | be a financial issue -- in some cases the decision is |
| 15 dogs and 70 cats are born. How many people | | | | made because of a cultural belief system. |
| do you know who live with 15 dogs? And that's if | | | | Interestingly enough, India leads the world for its |
| they live alone. To have homes for all the dogs | | | | no-kill shelters. |
| being bred, the average family of four would | | | | Not only are very few of the stray dogs in the |
| have to feed and house 60 dogs. Not even | | | | US adopted, but most of the lucky pets that do |
| mushers in Alaska need that many dogs. | | | | find homes are not from shelters. The Maddies |
| All these "extra" dogs usually start out as | | | | Fund estimates that only 20% of existing |
| abandoned puppies, shivering and starving in a | | | | household pets are from shelters. The remaining |
| vacant lot somewhere. Eventually they are found, | | | | 80% are from breeders and other sources. Many |
| sometimes by nice people, sometimes by not so | | | | people select dogs that are pure-bred, or are |
| nice people. Some are used in lab experiments, | | | | bred by friends, or they simply succumb to the |
| some are just ignored and starve on their own or | | | | natural human tendency to believe that something |
| get hit by cars or die of disease. Some are | | | | that is "new" is better than something that is |
| "mistreated" by people in ways I won't get into. | | | | second-hand. |
| Most others are captured by animal control and | | | | Unless you have a very long history with dogs |
| sent to the local dog pound. | | | | and have a true dedication to a specific breed, |
| At the shelter dogs that are sick or aggressive or | | | | breeding dogs simply to make money is immoral |
| just have the bad luck of being born a Pitbull are | | | | given how many dogs are put to sleep each year. |
| euthanized. Other dogs typically have anywhere | | | | Not only are you harming all the dogs that will lose |
| from a week to a month adoption window before | | | | homes as a result of your new puppies, but the |
| the shelter has to give up. Many metro area | | | | puppies you are breeding have a high likelihood of |
| shelters are so overwhelmed with animals that | | | | never finding homes. What's more, dog breeding |
| the adoption window is less than a week. A small | | | | really is not a great way to make money, unless |
| fraction of lucky dogs (less than 5 percent) do | | | | you cut out vet bills and feed bad food and breed |
| end up in "no kill" shelters. The Maddies Fund, | | | | dogs that are not breeding quality to begin with. |
| which established a $250 million grant to support | | | | There are hundreds of terrific dog-related |
| no-kill shelters in the US, is trying to increase that | | | | businesses to start. Skip dog breeding. |
| percentage by working with cities across the | | | | |