I work in canine rescue in Mississippi, where spay/neuter rates are low, euthanasia rates are very high, and the stray animal population is a huge problem. The calls are nonstop these days: starving dogs, dogs hit by cars, abused and neglected dogs who live their lives on 6-foot chains in muddy yards with no shelter, litter after litter after litter of puppies surrendered by desperate owners who never got their female spayed and now can't afford the costs of food for the pups.
Maybe there is a shadowy network of puppy mills fronting as dog rescues. I don't know. All I know is that the rescues down here are overrun and constantly in desperate need of funds, and these are real people (and real dogs) that I deal with every day.
You bought a designer breed from a breeder and now (apparently?) have decided not to neuter him. Fine. I don't care. But to say that only "some" rescues are "genuine rescues," and that "a lot" of these dogs actually come from puppy mills is a distortion of reality.
You use a lot of slippery and imprecise language, so I can't tell how just big you think the "fake rescue" world is...? Down here, flea markets are notorious puppy-mill sales grounds (and the bane of rural rescuers), but I have never seen any of the people selling dogs at flea markets claim to be rescuers themselves. If you can provide further specific examples of this phenomenon, I would appreciate it. If I seem defensive, I apologize: it is only because we (rescuers) are drowning in dogs and bills down here, and the insinuation that some unspecific-yet-alarming percentage of us are actually trafficking mutts for profit, and that maybe just to be safe you're better off just buying a purebred dog from a breeder, makes me feel like an insane person.
I hope that you will interview some rescuers for this series - particularly rescuers in areas of the country where there is a massive surplus of unwanted dogs. (I also hope anyone reading this far might consider donating to a local rescue! The pandemic/unemployment crisis has taken a massive toll on rescues everywhere, and even the smallest donations are hugely appreciated!)
I don't want to make any strong statements, and there's certainly a degree of motivated reasoning going on, but it's hard not to feel like the market here is somewhat sketchy when you're looking at it from places like the PNW where demand outstrips the number of dogs being surrendered/abandoned locally. If you look at petfinder in these locations you see tons of dogs either explicitly out of state and will be flown to you, or where the shelter claims they were transferred from a 'partner'. There's no tracing of the supply chain here, and these are small private shelters asking large adoption fees for dogs that you really don't know where they came from, what conditions were involved in the transfer, or what medical care they've received.
While I'm sure a large amount of it is people wanting to get a doodle puppy in the exact color they want, it's not totally unreasonable to be leery of involving yourself in a non-transparent market for living creatures being shipped across the country or world.
Why not use technology to create a cross state cross rescuer/shelter database of adoptable animals so imports if any, particularly from breeder countries where laws don't prevent this are stopped.
There are definitely a few apps like that. Petfinder comes to mind, and although I ultimately didn't wind up adopting a dog through it, I used it extensively in my search.
I will sterilize every single female dog and cat I ever own and not out of my own convenience of not having to stocking up on doggie maxipads and having to listen to incessant 3 am yowling, but because it's healthy for them. Even human women who don't have children see an increased risk of ovarian, cervical, and uterine cancers. I'm not going to allow my pets to procreate, so why would increase their health risks? Not to mention what an intact tomcat will do to the ambiance of your home...
You say "snappy mutt" like it's an insult, which I'm sure you mean it as such as you tout Moose's generic heritage (which sorry to say, a goldendoodle may be AKC recognized, but he's a mutt too if we're calling technicalities). What do you suppose these average owners who aren't sterilizing their pets are going to do when Sadie has 13 unexpected puppies? Even the most dedicated pet owners can have a moment of nondiligence, taking to another dog park patron for example. Say your neighbor has a mix breed female and Moose gets away from you long enough to impregnate her. Are you going to accept the financial responsibility for those puppies? Will you find homes for those mutts? I find it unlikely.
While, it's all good and fine to say you have moral beliefs on bodily autonomy, you're discussing a non issue here. You mean to say "there aren't enough 'designer' puppies available". There are more than enough mutt pups to go around, but they get overlooked because they were never wanted and having a mixed breed dog doesn't quite hit the middle class charts like introducing your perfect french bulldog or labradoodle. If you're going to raise this kind of controversial topic, you need to also have solutions for the wholesale adoption and welfare of dogs who are not "idyllic" breeds.
I've been involved with dog and cat rescue for almost 8 years now, providing a permanent home at my own out of pocket expenses, not to mention the daily care and maintenance. I have 5 dogs now, all rescues, all mixed breed small, "yappy", snappy, and senior. I would have 5 more if my husband hadn't set a limit. I can assure you that there is no shortage of dogs or puppies in my neck of the woods.
In my adult life, I have never made a puppy my priority, but I can understand where that would be the ideal dog. The problem is wanting "that" dog, that special breed above all others. Consider amending this article with some information about those looking for dogs contacting shelters to be placed on a waiting list for specific breeds or ages and also adding information on the downsides of leaving your pet intact. Your point is not invalid, it's controversial yet interesting, but it's too one-sided to be palatable.
This is so right. There are still millions if dogs being put down every day esp. In the south. They are bypassed for these "rescues" that are simply puppy mill dogs from another country while the shelters are full of pit bull types, lab mixes, hounds and crosses thereof. There is no demand for them. But they need rescue far more. If these groups would stop buying these dogs from other countries maybe they could bring some if yhe Souths puppies North instead.
Why did this article make you so angry? You conceded that it was interesting, but you also allowed anger to cloud your words, which is the killer of conversation. It's so sad that our culture has become so polarized that we can't simply discuss, share ideas, and grow. Conversations consistently devolve to name calling and finger pointing because people can't handle someone having a disagreeing thought.
> Rather than a dog surplus, what we have is a shortage of pups.
From the information in the piece, this seems like an overstatement. Just how the United States produces a net surplus of unrefined oil products yet still imports certain types of crude from abroad, there can be dog imports while still too many dogs are euthanized. Indeed, 40% of the dog population euthanized each year being reduced to 2% seems to be a massive point in favor of de-sexing—but that's still an enormous number of dead dogs.
As Katie notes, the dog trade seems to be driven by demand for specific breeds. If people have these preferences, it seems logical that reducing unplanned breeding via de-sexing would reduce the number of breeds in less demand. In a world in which every single dog is de-sexed, reputable breeders could respond to market signals and produce the precise number of puppies in each breed. This seems preferable to the alternative of uncontrolled exponential breeding.
Fortunately, it seems that this market is on its way to forming. Unfortunately, it seems to be very small. Even though the piece tries to characterize a market of $2.6 million over 11 years as "big business," it's not. It works out to less than $650 per day. I'm sure it's not the extent of the dog market in the United States, and I agree with Katie's point that we shouldn't necessarily think of shelters as Good and commercial breeders as Bad.
I liked the piece, but I don't think the narrative of "de-sexing has created these unintended consequences" pans out. If our goal is to prevent needless euthanasia, our program of de-sexing seems to be working.
There are so many places, where dogs are in desperate need of homes. The Hawaiian islands is one of them. Where do you get the statistic from, that there is a shortage? Spay and neuter is absolutely vital and there is still a lot of resistance to it here, articles like this are not helpful in that regards. We rely on mainland transfer programs for these animals to stay alive, which are not abundant enough and came to a halt this year until this flight happened. The shelters are filling up again so fast and unwanted, neglected and suffering dogs and cats are the norm here. https://www.instagram.com/p/CHEFWE3pZtt/
I agree wholeheartedly. Katie mentions that there is no feral dog problem in places like Scandinavia, Switzerland, and Canada--but of course there's not...those places have very harsh winters that likely "naturally" keep the stray dog population under control. Hawaii, the Deep South, Puerto Rico, Central America...all these other places Katie mentions as areas with "surpluses" of dogs have warm climates where stray populations can survive and breed all year round.
Rescues where I live rely heavily Canadian rescues to accept transports of our unwanted dogs, but cross-border transports have been halted since April, and it has taken a toll. Even sending dogs to other states/countries is quite expensive. Most of the dogs rescues down here take in are heartworm positive or otherwise ill, but must have a totally clean bill of health before any northern rescue will take them. Heartworm treatment for a single dog costs upward of $500 (plus at least a month in a foster home); we are lucky if that's ALL the treatment they require. Then there are vaccinations...boarding...food...the costs of transport itself. It's crushing.
Of course you should do your due diligence before adopting ANY dog, whether you're getting it from a breeder or a municipal shelter or a rescue. But there's a lot of vague, spooky fearmongering in this article about rescues-that-aren't, and not very much concrete information to go on about choosing a rescue to adopt from. (I like Katie's writing, and I know this series is a work in progress, so I hope later installments will delve more into this!)
If you ever come to London, UK...we have a massive population of feral canines. Foxes. I live in SW London but still in TfL 2--I have a fox that walks the top of my brick fence every evening, plus another one that comes through the driveway often. They eat a lot of trash, rodents (I don't mind if they kill the mice and rats), a cat from time to time. That said, London foxes are pretty docile.
Rabbits. Squirrel. Deer, if they form a pack and hunt together. Where I live there's plenty for a feral dog to eat, if it can compete successfully with the coyotes.
I live in NW Arkansas and I can tell you why everyone (here at least) wants to see pets spayed or neutered.
When a family gets a dog for the first time they dont expect the amount of work it takes to raise one. They think they can control the dog somehow, then end up with puppies.
When they find out that Mutt puppies can literally not be given away around here they dump them.
Cats are literally pests around here because of this and cause property damage, (my car's paint was torn up from a feral cat).
So when I see someone who wont spend the money to make sure they are being a responsible resident of the community for everyone's sake, I do judge them.
I own a dog and he cant go outside at night with me in my own yard because there are always feral cats around and he's already been attacked once.
My niece and nephew (toddlers) aren't safe because of irresponsible pet owners.
I think the important thing to note is what spaying or neutering says about the owner. God can’t be trusted to create life the way it should be, is the overarching point. Then there is the serial killer analogy…they start small and close to home, but given the opportunity…they invade Poland. It is cheaper and easier to be callous than protect life. This is why you likely had meat last night for dinner and are closer to eating a human or a dog than a vegetarian or vegan. Advocating against mutilating animals means advocating for more caring, involved, and responsible pet “ownership”. It is no wonder the author finds herself inundated with hateful responses by folks who suddenly realize they have growth potential. Btw. I am in no way claiming to be a finished product, just someone who has overcome a lot of delusions about human nature. I would Love to hear if there is research into why feral dogs sport kill (like humans), and why they don’t exhibit the type of monogamy found in wild canines (I know it is far from 100%).
I didn't think much about the international "rescues" that have populated the adoption sphere so thanks for the enlightening aspect how people are getting dogs nowadays. I think most people wouldn't want to get their nice looking puppy from an inhumane mill in Eastern Europe... but put enough middlemen between the consumer and producer and it seems like adoption of these rescues is copacetic.
It reminded me somewhat of the story that had just come out about the Apple/Winstron worker riots in India. I think most consumers would be aghast at getting their $1000+ electronics through slave labor, but put enough subcontractors logistically between the endpoints and it seems good enough for U.S. capitalism and its consumers.
So far, I'm leaning to keeping sterilization as I much rather have 2% versus 20%+ euthanization rates, plus I think the international aspect of adoption can always be massaged toward a more humane place with proper regulation and government oversight.The USDA already does with food and animal products from abroad.
I have an open mind about this subject so I'll be interested in reading the rest of the series as they come out.
Not sure where you and Moose live, but in California, especially metro areas, we are overloaded with dogs in shelters. Public shelters are almost all kill shelters. While all breeds eventually come through a shelter, they are mostly filled with pits and pit mixes, and chihuahuas. Overbred and abandoned on the streets to breed some more. Sterilization is really necessary to help control the overpopulation and euthanizing.
Rescue groups who deal with puppy mills generally get adult dogs who can no longer breed, and puppies who can’t be sold. These dogs would normally be killed.
Neutering pets is not the norm here, and while there _are_ too many puppies to be adopted, feral cats are a more serious problem (populations swell, they kill much of the local wildlife and attack pets, and lead miserable, short lives), human infection rates with toxoplasmosis are startlingly high, and it'd be much more valuable to convince more people to sterilize.
This is an interesting read, but it really does feel like only limited parts of the US have gotten past the point of "way too many freely breeding animals" to the *much easier & less awful problems* of "finally breeding isn't our of control".
Getting a pet is still a large responsibility that is still very commonly underestimated. The best approach is not likely to be "tell all English-speaking readers around the world to let their pets breed."
I haven't researched this myself; but please please get real stats on eg how many puppies are coming from overseas, vs how many are from other sources, and do not encourage any decisions based on tiny percentages.
I am the cofounder and photographer for Who Will Let The Dogs Out, a non-profit under Operation Paws For Homes working to bring attention to the plight of unwanted and forgotten dogs especially in the rural South. I have visited many, many shelters and old school styled pounds and can say without any doubt there is NO shortage of adoptable puppies and dogs. To the contrary, the South is overrun with more than they can care for and dogs are still being killed every single day. Spay and neuter programs would help and upstanding rescues are working hard but are simply not enough. The idea that spay and neuter has created a shortage of puppies is something I have heard is true in Canada but here in the US there are so many places where people don't even give their dogs minimal care like food or shelter...places where it is legal to keep your dog on a chain outside 24/7. Spay and neuter programs are a part of a solution to their problem not a cause of their poor welfare.
Katie said that this series would be even more contentious than other social justice issues and the comments are good evidence of that.
There are some interesting critiques here in the comments, but to the people who labeled this article "unhelpful," I think it's important to understand that in a long series on a particular topic, each individual chapter will not cover the entire picture.
It is possible for the modern rescues to be swamped *and also* for the current situation to be orders of magnitude less horrifying and cruel than drowning a hundreds of dogs per day in a big city like NYC.
I would love to read more about how people working in the rescue field feel about it, and I would love to see how their anecdotal evidence compares to what things were like in the 70s.
Spend some time taking in foster dogs from the San Antonio Texas city shelter. There is a network all over the country desperately trying to save dogs scheduled from euthanasia ... daily. I was on the emergency foster list, taking in dogs that were literally rescued on the day they were scheduled and the requests I received every damn day were frantic. Yes, many of these dogs ended up on a transport to places like Massachusetts, Colorado, or Canada where there is a demand for rescues. But I can tell you San Antonio and nearby areas are overrun with abandoned and stray dogs (many are American Staffordshire terrier mixes). I didn't read the link you provided but I wonder what's in it for rescue organizations to bid on puppy mill dogs? Something about that smells like a wet dog. I also worked in Austin's no-kill shelter system and I can assure you, none of the dogs for rescue were puppy mill dogs. Again many were American Staffordshire terrier mixes and the cages were always full to the brink. While I agree that we need to revisit the de-sexing of our pets, I take great exception to this piece. Come spend some time in S. Texas or many other areas of this country where there are way too many abandoned and stray dogs. Your article doesn't help the situation!
Yes they can! Unfortunately it's hard to find a vet who will do the procedure, but if it's an option, it's what I'll be doing with my boy. The term you're looking for is either "ovary sparing spay" or "vasectomy" (like you said!).
Pyometra is an infection in the uterus. An ovary sparing spay removed the uterus and there is no uterus to get infected. I had it done on my dog 5 years ago. The mammary cancer risk is there, but like humans, you do breast exams on your dog regularly. The benefits that the dogs get from having circulating hormones typically outweigh the risk, if you are a responsible pet parent.
Minor quibble - instead of feral (which isn't entirely inaccurate) a better term might be 'free roaming'. That would include the ferals, the owned-but-not-contained, and the various points between. Might also be important to point out that dogs fill more roles than just 'pet/companion.'
The places you mention with “responsible dog owners” still have shortages of puppies and dogs, though. I know two people who live in Sweden and adopted rescue dogs from other countries (Russia and Spain). It seems like you are insinuating that since they are responsible owners and don’t spay or neuter they don’t have the same problems but they still do!
If saving the environment and nature necessitates rescuing pets from the hands of people who dont care about dog testicles and the rights of pets, so be it. It's essentially the same people anyway. There is a vast, psychopathic, careless, brutal human mindset about life and nature which is utterly warped and which sadly many people have, one which sees everything around them as a means to an end and which sees everything not created by them in their image as something to be beaten down and leveled and sterilized and processed into one cosmology of beige and green. I know this kind of person quite well. They only respect nature when it is convenient for them and beneficial for them to do so. If it is inconvenient for them, they destroy it without a second thought. Many live vicariously through their pets as a substitute for the children they are afraid to raise because they know they wouldn't be able to control them. Such people shouldnt be allowed to obtain or own pets either, it constitutes abuse.
Mutilating an animal is never morally acceptable. The reasons given for mutilating animals are essentially just a continuation to the reasoning that is used to justify all the other cruel and senseless acts these same people do. It would be just as effective to give the dogs vasectomies and similar surgury that drastically reduces the potential for inconvenient reproduction, without taking away the satisfaction of sex, and the possibility of one day reproducing. And if the animal is a threat, mutilating it is not the answer. Put the animal down. It is the most empathic option.
The life satisfaction of a dog, which serves and loves unconditionally, is more valuable than that of a human being. I hope one day all humans are forced to recognize that.
I work in canine rescue in Mississippi, where spay/neuter rates are low, euthanasia rates are very high, and the stray animal population is a huge problem. The calls are nonstop these days: starving dogs, dogs hit by cars, abused and neglected dogs who live their lives on 6-foot chains in muddy yards with no shelter, litter after litter after litter of puppies surrendered by desperate owners who never got their female spayed and now can't afford the costs of food for the pups.
Maybe there is a shadowy network of puppy mills fronting as dog rescues. I don't know. All I know is that the rescues down here are overrun and constantly in desperate need of funds, and these are real people (and real dogs) that I deal with every day.
You bought a designer breed from a breeder and now (apparently?) have decided not to neuter him. Fine. I don't care. But to say that only "some" rescues are "genuine rescues," and that "a lot" of these dogs actually come from puppy mills is a distortion of reality.
You use a lot of slippery and imprecise language, so I can't tell how just big you think the "fake rescue" world is...? Down here, flea markets are notorious puppy-mill sales grounds (and the bane of rural rescuers), but I have never seen any of the people selling dogs at flea markets claim to be rescuers themselves. If you can provide further specific examples of this phenomenon, I would appreciate it. If I seem defensive, I apologize: it is only because we (rescuers) are drowning in dogs and bills down here, and the insinuation that some unspecific-yet-alarming percentage of us are actually trafficking mutts for profit, and that maybe just to be safe you're better off just buying a purebred dog from a breeder, makes me feel like an insane person.
I hope that you will interview some rescuers for this series - particularly rescuers in areas of the country where there is a massive surplus of unwanted dogs. (I also hope anyone reading this far might consider donating to a local rescue! The pandemic/unemployment crisis has taken a massive toll on rescues everywhere, and even the smallest donations are hugely appreciated!)
I don't want to make any strong statements, and there's certainly a degree of motivated reasoning going on, but it's hard not to feel like the market here is somewhat sketchy when you're looking at it from places like the PNW where demand outstrips the number of dogs being surrendered/abandoned locally. If you look at petfinder in these locations you see tons of dogs either explicitly out of state and will be flown to you, or where the shelter claims they were transferred from a 'partner'. There's no tracing of the supply chain here, and these are small private shelters asking large adoption fees for dogs that you really don't know where they came from, what conditions were involved in the transfer, or what medical care they've received.
While I'm sure a large amount of it is people wanting to get a doodle puppy in the exact color they want, it's not totally unreasonable to be leery of involving yourself in a non-transparent market for living creatures being shipped across the country or world.
Why not use technology to create a cross state cross rescuer/shelter database of adoptable animals so imports if any, particularly from breeder countries where laws don't prevent this are stopped.
I think you overestimate the resources available to many of these rescues.
There are definitely a few apps like that. Petfinder comes to mind, and although I ultimately didn't wind up adopting a dog through it, I used it extensively in my search.
I will sterilize every single female dog and cat I ever own and not out of my own convenience of not having to stocking up on doggie maxipads and having to listen to incessant 3 am yowling, but because it's healthy for them. Even human women who don't have children see an increased risk of ovarian, cervical, and uterine cancers. I'm not going to allow my pets to procreate, so why would increase their health risks? Not to mention what an intact tomcat will do to the ambiance of your home...
You say "snappy mutt" like it's an insult, which I'm sure you mean it as such as you tout Moose's generic heritage (which sorry to say, a goldendoodle may be AKC recognized, but he's a mutt too if we're calling technicalities). What do you suppose these average owners who aren't sterilizing their pets are going to do when Sadie has 13 unexpected puppies? Even the most dedicated pet owners can have a moment of nondiligence, taking to another dog park patron for example. Say your neighbor has a mix breed female and Moose gets away from you long enough to impregnate her. Are you going to accept the financial responsibility for those puppies? Will you find homes for those mutts? I find it unlikely.
While, it's all good and fine to say you have moral beliefs on bodily autonomy, you're discussing a non issue here. You mean to say "there aren't enough 'designer' puppies available". There are more than enough mutt pups to go around, but they get overlooked because they were never wanted and having a mixed breed dog doesn't quite hit the middle class charts like introducing your perfect french bulldog or labradoodle. If you're going to raise this kind of controversial topic, you need to also have solutions for the wholesale adoption and welfare of dogs who are not "idyllic" breeds.
I've been involved with dog and cat rescue for almost 8 years now, providing a permanent home at my own out of pocket expenses, not to mention the daily care and maintenance. I have 5 dogs now, all rescues, all mixed breed small, "yappy", snappy, and senior. I would have 5 more if my husband hadn't set a limit. I can assure you that there is no shortage of dogs or puppies in my neck of the woods.
In my adult life, I have never made a puppy my priority, but I can understand where that would be the ideal dog. The problem is wanting "that" dog, that special breed above all others. Consider amending this article with some information about those looking for dogs contacting shelters to be placed on a waiting list for specific breeds or ages and also adding information on the downsides of leaving your pet intact. Your point is not invalid, it's controversial yet interesting, but it's too one-sided to be palatable.
This is so right. There are still millions if dogs being put down every day esp. In the south. They are bypassed for these "rescues" that are simply puppy mill dogs from another country while the shelters are full of pit bull types, lab mixes, hounds and crosses thereof. There is no demand for them. But they need rescue far more. If these groups would stop buying these dogs from other countries maybe they could bring some if yhe Souths puppies North instead.
Why did this article make you so angry? You conceded that it was interesting, but you also allowed anger to cloud your words, which is the killer of conversation. It's so sad that our culture has become so polarized that we can't simply discuss, share ideas, and grow. Conversations consistently devolve to name calling and finger pointing because people can't handle someone having a disagreeing thought.
> Rather than a dog surplus, what we have is a shortage of pups.
From the information in the piece, this seems like an overstatement. Just how the United States produces a net surplus of unrefined oil products yet still imports certain types of crude from abroad, there can be dog imports while still too many dogs are euthanized. Indeed, 40% of the dog population euthanized each year being reduced to 2% seems to be a massive point in favor of de-sexing—but that's still an enormous number of dead dogs.
As Katie notes, the dog trade seems to be driven by demand for specific breeds. If people have these preferences, it seems logical that reducing unplanned breeding via de-sexing would reduce the number of breeds in less demand. In a world in which every single dog is de-sexed, reputable breeders could respond to market signals and produce the precise number of puppies in each breed. This seems preferable to the alternative of uncontrolled exponential breeding.
Fortunately, it seems that this market is on its way to forming. Unfortunately, it seems to be very small. Even though the piece tries to characterize a market of $2.6 million over 11 years as "big business," it's not. It works out to less than $650 per day. I'm sure it's not the extent of the dog market in the United States, and I agree with Katie's point that we shouldn't necessarily think of shelters as Good and commercial breeders as Bad.
I liked the piece, but I don't think the narrative of "de-sexing has created these unintended consequences" pans out. If our goal is to prevent needless euthanasia, our program of de-sexing seems to be working.
There are so many places, where dogs are in desperate need of homes. The Hawaiian islands is one of them. Where do you get the statistic from, that there is a shortage? Spay and neuter is absolutely vital and there is still a lot of resistance to it here, articles like this are not helpful in that regards. We rely on mainland transfer programs for these animals to stay alive, which are not abundant enough and came to a halt this year until this flight happened. The shelters are filling up again so fast and unwanted, neglected and suffering dogs and cats are the norm here. https://www.instagram.com/p/CHEFWE3pZtt/
I agree wholeheartedly. Katie mentions that there is no feral dog problem in places like Scandinavia, Switzerland, and Canada--but of course there's not...those places have very harsh winters that likely "naturally" keep the stray dog population under control. Hawaii, the Deep South, Puerto Rico, Central America...all these other places Katie mentions as areas with "surpluses" of dogs have warm climates where stray populations can survive and breed all year round.
Rescues where I live rely heavily Canadian rescues to accept transports of our unwanted dogs, but cross-border transports have been halted since April, and it has taken a toll. Even sending dogs to other states/countries is quite expensive. Most of the dogs rescues down here take in are heartworm positive or otherwise ill, but must have a totally clean bill of health before any northern rescue will take them. Heartworm treatment for a single dog costs upward of $500 (plus at least a month in a foster home); we are lucky if that's ALL the treatment they require. Then there are vaccinations...boarding...food...the costs of transport itself. It's crushing.
Of course you should do your due diligence before adopting ANY dog, whether you're getting it from a breeder or a municipal shelter or a rescue. But there's a lot of vague, spooky fearmongering in this article about rescues-that-aren't, and not very much concrete information to go on about choosing a rescue to adopt from. (I like Katie's writing, and I know this series is a work in progress, so I hope later installments will delve more into this!)
Hi Heather--I'm very curious how feral dogs survive--what exactly do they eat?
If you ever come to London, UK...we have a massive population of feral canines. Foxes. I live in SW London but still in TfL 2--I have a fox that walks the top of my brick fence every evening, plus another one that comes through the driveway often. They eat a lot of trash, rodents (I don't mind if they kill the mice and rats), a cat from time to time. That said, London foxes are pretty docile.
Also - trash, cats, other people's livestock.
Rabbits. Squirrel. Deer, if they form a pack and hunt together. Where I live there's plenty for a feral dog to eat, if it can compete successfully with the coyotes.
I live in NW Arkansas and I can tell you why everyone (here at least) wants to see pets spayed or neutered.
When a family gets a dog for the first time they dont expect the amount of work it takes to raise one. They think they can control the dog somehow, then end up with puppies.
When they find out that Mutt puppies can literally not be given away around here they dump them.
Cats are literally pests around here because of this and cause property damage, (my car's paint was torn up from a feral cat).
So when I see someone who wont spend the money to make sure they are being a responsible resident of the community for everyone's sake, I do judge them.
I own a dog and he cant go outside at night with me in my own yard because there are always feral cats around and he's already been attacked once.
My niece and nephew (toddlers) aren't safe because of irresponsible pet owners.
I think the important thing to note is what spaying or neutering says about the owner. God can’t be trusted to create life the way it should be, is the overarching point. Then there is the serial killer analogy…they start small and close to home, but given the opportunity…they invade Poland. It is cheaper and easier to be callous than protect life. This is why you likely had meat last night for dinner and are closer to eating a human or a dog than a vegetarian or vegan. Advocating against mutilating animals means advocating for more caring, involved, and responsible pet “ownership”. It is no wonder the author finds herself inundated with hateful responses by folks who suddenly realize they have growth potential. Btw. I am in no way claiming to be a finished product, just someone who has overcome a lot of delusions about human nature. I would Love to hear if there is research into why feral dogs sport kill (like humans), and why they don’t exhibit the type of monogamy found in wild canines (I know it is far from 100%).
I didn't think much about the international "rescues" that have populated the adoption sphere so thanks for the enlightening aspect how people are getting dogs nowadays. I think most people wouldn't want to get their nice looking puppy from an inhumane mill in Eastern Europe... but put enough middlemen between the consumer and producer and it seems like adoption of these rescues is copacetic.
It reminded me somewhat of the story that had just come out about the Apple/Winstron worker riots in India. I think most consumers would be aghast at getting their $1000+ electronics through slave labor, but put enough subcontractors logistically between the endpoints and it seems good enough for U.S. capitalism and its consumers.
So far, I'm leaning to keeping sterilization as I much rather have 2% versus 20%+ euthanization rates, plus I think the international aspect of adoption can always be massaged toward a more humane place with proper regulation and government oversight.The USDA already does with food and animal products from abroad.
I have an open mind about this subject so I'll be interested in reading the rest of the series as they come out.
Not sure where you and Moose live, but in California, especially metro areas, we are overloaded with dogs in shelters. Public shelters are almost all kill shelters. While all breeds eventually come through a shelter, they are mostly filled with pits and pit mixes, and chihuahuas. Overbred and abandoned on the streets to breed some more. Sterilization is really necessary to help control the overpopulation and euthanizing.
Rescue groups who deal with puppy mills generally get adult dogs who can no longer breed, and puppies who can’t be sold. These dogs would normally be killed.
I live in relatively-rural France.
Neutering pets is not the norm here, and while there _are_ too many puppies to be adopted, feral cats are a more serious problem (populations swell, they kill much of the local wildlife and attack pets, and lead miserable, short lives), human infection rates with toxoplasmosis are startlingly high, and it'd be much more valuable to convince more people to sterilize.
This is an interesting read, but it really does feel like only limited parts of the US have gotten past the point of "way too many freely breeding animals" to the *much easier & less awful problems* of "finally breeding isn't our of control".
Getting a pet is still a large responsibility that is still very commonly underestimated. The best approach is not likely to be "tell all English-speaking readers around the world to let their pets breed."
I haven't researched this myself; but please please get real stats on eg how many puppies are coming from overseas, vs how many are from other sources, and do not encourage any decisions based on tiny percentages.
I am the cofounder and photographer for Who Will Let The Dogs Out, a non-profit under Operation Paws For Homes working to bring attention to the plight of unwanted and forgotten dogs especially in the rural South. I have visited many, many shelters and old school styled pounds and can say without any doubt there is NO shortage of adoptable puppies and dogs. To the contrary, the South is overrun with more than they can care for and dogs are still being killed every single day. Spay and neuter programs would help and upstanding rescues are working hard but are simply not enough. The idea that spay and neuter has created a shortage of puppies is something I have heard is true in Canada but here in the US there are so many places where people don't even give their dogs minimal care like food or shelter...places where it is legal to keep your dog on a chain outside 24/7. Spay and neuter programs are a part of a solution to their problem not a cause of their poor welfare.
Katie said that this series would be even more contentious than other social justice issues and the comments are good evidence of that.
There are some interesting critiques here in the comments, but to the people who labeled this article "unhelpful," I think it's important to understand that in a long series on a particular topic, each individual chapter will not cover the entire picture.
It is possible for the modern rescues to be swamped *and also* for the current situation to be orders of magnitude less horrifying and cruel than drowning a hundreds of dogs per day in a big city like NYC.
I would love to read more about how people working in the rescue field feel about it, and I would love to see how their anecdotal evidence compares to what things were like in the 70s.
Spend some time taking in foster dogs from the San Antonio Texas city shelter. There is a network all over the country desperately trying to save dogs scheduled from euthanasia ... daily. I was on the emergency foster list, taking in dogs that were literally rescued on the day they were scheduled and the requests I received every damn day were frantic. Yes, many of these dogs ended up on a transport to places like Massachusetts, Colorado, or Canada where there is a demand for rescues. But I can tell you San Antonio and nearby areas are overrun with abandoned and stray dogs (many are American Staffordshire terrier mixes). I didn't read the link you provided but I wonder what's in it for rescue organizations to bid on puppy mill dogs? Something about that smells like a wet dog. I also worked in Austin's no-kill shelter system and I can assure you, none of the dogs for rescue were puppy mill dogs. Again many were American Staffordshire terrier mixes and the cages were always full to the brink. While I agree that we need to revisit the de-sexing of our pets, I take great exception to this piece. Come spend some time in S. Texas or many other areas of this country where there are way too many abandoned and stray dogs. Your article doesn't help the situation!
Q: can dogs get vasectomies or tubes tied?
Yes they can! Unfortunately it's hard to find a vet who will do the procedure, but if it's an option, it's what I'll be doing with my boy. The term you're looking for is either "ovary sparing spay" or "vasectomy" (like you said!).
Pyometra is an infection in the uterus. An ovary sparing spay removed the uterus and there is no uterus to get infected. I had it done on my dog 5 years ago. The mammary cancer risk is there, but like humans, you do breast exams on your dog regularly. The benefits that the dogs get from having circulating hormones typically outweigh the risk, if you are a responsible pet parent.
Minor quibble - instead of feral (which isn't entirely inaccurate) a better term might be 'free roaming'. That would include the ferals, the owned-but-not-contained, and the various points between. Might also be important to point out that dogs fill more roles than just 'pet/companion.'
The places you mention with “responsible dog owners” still have shortages of puppies and dogs, though. I know two people who live in Sweden and adopted rescue dogs from other countries (Russia and Spain). It seems like you are insinuating that since they are responsible owners and don’t spay or neuter they don’t have the same problems but they still do!
If saving the environment and nature necessitates rescuing pets from the hands of people who dont care about dog testicles and the rights of pets, so be it. It's essentially the same people anyway. There is a vast, psychopathic, careless, brutal human mindset about life and nature which is utterly warped and which sadly many people have, one which sees everything around them as a means to an end and which sees everything not created by them in their image as something to be beaten down and leveled and sterilized and processed into one cosmology of beige and green. I know this kind of person quite well. They only respect nature when it is convenient for them and beneficial for them to do so. If it is inconvenient for them, they destroy it without a second thought. Many live vicariously through their pets as a substitute for the children they are afraid to raise because they know they wouldn't be able to control them. Such people shouldnt be allowed to obtain or own pets either, it constitutes abuse.
Mutilating an animal is never morally acceptable. The reasons given for mutilating animals are essentially just a continuation to the reasoning that is used to justify all the other cruel and senseless acts these same people do. It would be just as effective to give the dogs vasectomies and similar surgury that drastically reduces the potential for inconvenient reproduction, without taking away the satisfaction of sex, and the possibility of one day reproducing. And if the animal is a threat, mutilating it is not the answer. Put the animal down. It is the most empathic option.
The life satisfaction of a dog, which serves and loves unconditionally, is more valuable than that of a human being. I hope one day all humans are forced to recognize that.