Dog Days and Cat Craze: Week 6 Day 1

Animal overpopulation is when the number of animals outnumbers the homes they are able to live in. To me animal overpopulation is a result of neglect, ignorance or selfishness, and a lack of responsibility. Overpopulation really just comes from pet owner's not getting their animals spayed/neutered. Maybe they don't think they have the money for it, but honestly, if you don't have the money to do this, should you really have a pet in the first place? But, even if you are low on money, which happens, especially with this recession, there are programs that you can apply to and places that you can go to to neuter/spay your pet for those with financial problems. Then there are those who think that no one should neuter/spay their pet, that they have the right not to. But what happens to the rights of the other animals that still need homes, or the people paying more tax money to afford shelters when these people refuse to get their female pet, for example, spayed and she has a litter that they can't afford to keep?

I think overall, our society only cares about overpopulation if it personally affects them. I feel that most of the time a blind eye is given to this issue. I think the mindset might be that it's sad to see animals at the shelter or see the commercials with Sarah McLaughlin about animal abuse and needs, but many feel it's not their problem to deal with, or maybe feel like they can't do anything to make a difference.

Shelters and most adoption centers and foundations require that the animals that get adopted are spayed or neutered. But, in most cases, a deposit is given and this does not assure that the new owner will actually get the surgery for the animal because the only penalty of not doing the surgery is not getting the refund. However, I do know that many animal breeders do require the animal to be spayed or neutered before adoption, so that's always a start. But, currently there are no laws about spaying/neutering pets. I feel that if they made it law, at least in the US, and only gave special permits to some people, that the animal overpopulation would be greatly reduced.

Here are my top ten favorite photographs from this course: