| There is a nice article here that is updated with numbers (to at least 2015) that shows both sides of these issues: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/05/pets-shelter-euthan... Here is PETAs numbers compared to one of the local shelters: > the Lynchburg Humane Society, also in Virginia, took in about the same number of animals as PETA but saved 94% and without PETA’s millions. Seagoville Animal Services in Texas took in 1/3 of the numbers (about 700 animals) but only 1/20th of 1% of the amount of money that PETA did, saving 99% of them on a paltry $29,700 budget. In fact, hundreds of cities and towns across America are saving over 90% of the animals and doing so on a fraction of PETA’s wealth. This PETA quote offers some explanation: > It’s easy to point the finger at those who are forced to do the “dirty work” caused by a throwaway society’s casual acquisition and breeding of dogs and cats who end up homeless and unwanted, but at PETA, we will never turn our backs on neglected, unloved, and homeless animals — even if the best we can offer them is a painless release from a world that doesn’t have enough heart or homes with room for them. And: > the vast majority of which were “owner surrenders,” meaning that they’d been relinquished to PETA voluntarily. If PETA gets all of the re-homable pets that all of the no-kill shelters denies, then I understand why their numbers are so bad, I wonder how it compares to the public run shelters. The no-kill shelters also needs to answer for what to do with all of the dogs that can't find a home due to illness, behavioural problems or aggression, is a life in kennels the best we can offer them? And what about the space that a non-re-homeable pet takes from a re-homeable pet? There have been stories of no-kill shelters that would "donate" their pets they can't re-home to another entity, that will then do the killing. But in the end, and I think this needs to be addressed, all of the shelters are trying to solve a problem that is created by irresponsible breeders and owners. The situation in the US is insane at the moment, and there simply isn't kennel space or homes for all of the pets that needs it. Sorry for the long message, but this issue isn't as black and white, and I have done a lot of thinking on the subject, but I haven't seen a solution that I prefer. |