I am writing this letter to make you aware of the need to increase or create funding for the no-kill animal shelters and animal rescues. Currently, it is estimated that 355,000 animals-many quite healthy-are killed yearly (The State of U.S. Animal Sheltering, 2019 | Network Partners (bestfriends.org ). The numbers seem to be growing as animals adopted at the beginning of the pandemic are returned to a shelter through no fault of their own.  

The reasons the animals are there vary: They are no longer wanted, owners move to ‘No Pets Allowed’ dwellings, no time, allergies, evictions, deaths, and nursing home admittances are among the reasons given for surrendering a pet. Other animals are simply dumped somewhere and are later found (frequently after being hit by a car or otherwise abused). An inability to afford vet care for a condition or injury is also a common reason for a pet to be surrendered. 
The number of animals killed for space can be greatly reduced simply by funding spay/neuter programs, and expecting that pets be fixed. This alone will reduce the number of kills over time. Current pet policies need to change, too. There is usually no reason for pet bans. Current pet policies actually deter pet-ownership and force pet surrenders (often to high-kill shelters). 

There is seemingly no logic behind existing pet weight restrictions and dangerous breed categorizations.  Pet-friendly dwellings may require cost-prohibitive pet rents and deposits. The current policies result in a huge number of good pets being killed because the shelters run out of space and need to kill the existing animals to make room for those to come.  

The bottom line is this: The only logical reason for someone to be forced to surrender a pet is because they aren’t good to it.  Medical care/home health care needs to include the care of existing pets, or a pet introduced on the recommendation of a provider for companionship. Many pets could be kept even among nursing facilities, homeless facilities and battered women’s shelters. It would take some planning, but it is doable.  

The ’No Pets Allowed’, pet weight restrictions and dangerous breed categorizations are issues which absolutely must be addressed and rethought with consideration and factual research. A dwelling that can house 2-500 lb. people should be able to accept a pet weighing more than 34 lbs. Pitbulls are not inherently dangerous. Neither are the rest of the dogs on the list. Not surprisingly, these poor dogs are the first to be killed at any shelter. Responsible pet owners are frequently forced to surrender these beautiful creatures simply because of these misinformed policies.   

The only way these policies will change is if they are changed legally. The only way the pet population will be controlled is by funding spay/neuter programs and expecting people to have their pets fixed. Please don’t ignore the matter as trivial. It isn’t. Please act as soon as humanly possible because these animals need us to.