I fault SPCAs and the Humane Society for not working to make a landlord who doesn’t accept pets as unacceptable as someone who smokes in a theater. Yeah, they’d get some flack from the real estate interests, but that’s better than beating up on some poor family that has to give up Fido because no landlord will allow him.

and all they can come up with to solve pet overpopulation is to continue to put animals down in these “shelters?”

There are alternatives (and I’m not talking about mandatory spay-neuter, and we already know that it doesn’t work), as we have learned about here on Pet Connection…when are they going to listen and give those alternatives (No-kill) a try?

It’s already been proven that putting animals down doesn’t solve anything…it’s like using a “bandaid” on a massive wound.

“Hello out there…is anyone listening???”

It’s amazing how classist people can be. This is obviously not what my dad has ever wanted. He’s now nearing retirement age with no hopes of ever being financially stable. People just do not understand. You often die with the same income level that you were born into. He’s had his job for 15 years and this winter they were all partially laid off because its a window manufacturing facility and they depend a lot on the housing market. He lives in a rural area and couldn’t find another part time job and has health problems that require ridiculous amounts of copays. Things took a bad turn and my family doesn’t have a net because we’re all more or less in the same situation. I work 7 days a week and the results are not pretty. Tired and still broke because poor people don’t deserve to go to college and I went anyway, not understanding that it would cripple me financially forever.

I am not lazy. I am lower class. I’ve been trying desperately not to be lower class: education, constantly working, trying to start my own thing. I am smart. It is still hard and at times I think its impossible. Haters need to figure out where there preconceived notions are coming from. The reality of the lower class is that it is a cycle of struggle that is difficult and sometimes impossible to break. We are people. Stop treating the poor like children or like morally irresponsible teenagers.

ugh. sorry to rant. things have just been bad lately and this makes me so disgusted.

“Those that have dealt with breed rescue groups have nearly always had more positive experiences than those who went directly to shelters.”

This puts me in mind - once again - of the “no-kill COMMUNITY” concept v.s. the “no-kill SHELTER” concept. How much better it would be if all these various outlets came together to see what they each - individually - can bring to the table. The breed rescues can of course focus on providing a safety net for dogs of their breed. The shelters often have a physical facility that is easier for members of the general public to identify and locate if they have a need to do so. The dogs who come into this physical facility may or may not stay there - perhaps they’re passed on to the appropriate breed rescue. Or put into a foster home for care and evaluation until permanent placement. And so on.

And if each of these groups could set aside their egos and resentments (for example, I’ve heard of shelters that refuse to EVER turn a dog over to any rescue organization because they find it offensive that a dog would need to be RESCUED from them! Oh, the horrors!) and be willing to look to the COMMUNITY to help find the most appropriate way to look out for the needs of any given animal that comes under their care, how much better for all the animals that find themselves cast adrift.

If you are a decent human being, you do not kick people where it hurts when they’re trying to do the right thing. And if you kill innocent pets in order to punish owners whom you disapprove of, you are, quite simply, a sadist.

People who are losing their homes don’t need to be lecturered about their failures. They are well aware of them already. They need help. And so do their pets.

Is it any wonder that folks are leaving their animals in their forclosed properties or turning them loose, when the alternative is being kicked when you are already down and told your animal will be killed?

I’ve never had to re-home a dog, but have had clients and relatives who have. Those that have dealt with breed rescue groups have nearly always had more positive experiences than those who went directly to shelters.

I realize that this is not always an option - but it is something to keep in mind.

Please also - if you have to rehome a pet for ANY reason - be honest with the group who accepts the pet regarding any health or behavior problems the pet has. Foisting an aggressive animal off on innocent, well-meaning people without warning them is, well, a horrible thing to do. For the people AND the pet involved.