A Rant

Please indulge me for a moment while I rant.

I see lots and lots of Facebook posts sharing dogs that will be euthanized today/tomorrow/whenever if not rescued or adopted. My first rant is that it is absolutely shameful that in the year 2020 millions of dogs and cats are killed every year because the humane societies/animal shelters/animal control have no more room to house and care for them. Why are people still breeding animals without having homes waiting for them? Why are they allowing mixed breed animals to reproduce. These animals, delightful as they are, are not advancing the breed. And before you attack me, nearly all of my dogs have been mixed breeds. The purebred dogs I have had have ALL been adopted. These innocent animals are not commodities to be used until the humans get tired of them, or the animals are no longer cute, or the animals can no longer produce puppies or kittens for sale. And they most definitely should not be used so humans can enrich themselves by selling dogs. This is directed at back yard breeders, puppy mills, and the Amish who are notorious for their abhorrent treatment of animals.

My second rant is directed at people who feel a need to make themselves feel good by posting inane comments such "Somebody please adopt this baby" or "I would take him but I live in Louisiana" or "I would adopt her but I already have five dogs" or "I pledge $10." Exactly what do these comments accomplish? Rescue groups report that they very rarely actually receive any pledges. And these statements do nothing but clutter up the post, making it very difficult for animal welfare employees and volunteers to find any legitimate interest in truly rescuing an animal. If you can't actually rescue/adopt an animal, if you're not willing to call and make arrangements to get it out of the shelter, keep your comments to yourself! All the "I would, but" comments are not helpful. 

If you genuinely want to help a rescue, donate money to that rescue group. Don't just post a 'pledge' that you never will honor. Share a post to someone you think may be interested in adopting a certain animal, but you don't need to announce it to the world. Stop bragging about the little actions you take, and DO SOMETHING! All the "please adopt this sweet baby" posts don't do anything to save an animal's life. If you can't adopt an animal, that's OK. Just don't clutter the post with unhelpful comments. Get involved with your local animal shelter. Volunteer to walk dogs, or socialize cats and dogs to make them more adoptable. If you have good photography skills, volunteer to take good photos of adoptable animals so they are presented at their best. If you have grooming skills, offer to groom some of the animals that really need it. Hold a fundraiser or a pet food or toy drive.

That's the end of my rant. Don't make the job of saving animals more difficult by posting useless comments. If you really want to make a difference, put your "thoughts and prayers" and good intentions into action.