Friday, September 2, 2011 4:00 pm  |
| Arlo and Cassie are two of five pups that were recently abandoned in San Jacinto County. The other pups were not as fortunate as these two and died before they could be rescued. If you are interested in adopting Arlo and Cassie, please call 281-229-8830 or send email to bandbtex@eastex.net. |
I have written numerous articles for this publication, with the last two giving details about specific breeds, and featuring rescued dogs of that breed that are up for adoption. I am sorry to say that I never received any inquiries about these dogs, nor have I ever had an adoption resulting from any of my past articles.
I have to assume that the residents of our area own dogs, yet most of our adoptions are in the Conroe/Woodlands area. Why do we do so few adoptions in our own communities? One reason could be that we have a plethora of dogs, with many people in rural areas, including ours, seeming to believe that spaying or neutering is unnecessary. After all, if the owner of an unaltered female dog suddenly finds himself with a bunch of unwanted puppies, he can just dump them off in the woods somewhere, or over a neighbor’s fence. He never suffers the consequences of his irresponsible behavior.
Instead, those of us who try to save animals, are filled to capacity, and end up having to tell people that, “Sorry, no more room at the inn.” Even less concern is shown to the neutering of a male dog, because the owner doesn’t have a clue how many females his dog can, and does, impregnate. Why should he care?
Millions of these unwanted animals are killed every year. In the Harris County shelter alone, literally hundreds of animals are taken in every day, and recent statistics show that over 80 percent of them are killed. Those of you who don’t bother to spay or neuter your pets are directly responsible for this type of slaughter.
A second reason for the lack of adoptions could be that people are buying pets, instead of rescuing one of the many abandoned and homeless animals. Please reconsider. Shelters are filled with many different dogs, and about 25 percent are purebred. There are also breed specific rescues, and Houston has most, if not all of them represented.
Check hadr-tx.org for Houston area dog rescues. First, before buying, or adopting, a companion animal, check with your local area rescues, including us at Legacy Ranch. Our web address is www.adoptrescuedogs.com, and all of our adoptable dogs, as well as information about low cost spay and neuter services, can be found there. We are just one of many, and by adopting a dog locally, you are saving a life that probably began right in your own area.
We humans are responsible for these animals. We have made the dog dependent on us, as a species, for its needs, yet we callously discard it as if it had no value. As I have written in the past, the old dogs, the black dogs, the disabled dogs, and the dogs that need a little extra attention, are the last to be adopted.
This month, two well-known animal welfare organizations, Best Friends Animal Society, and Petfinder.com, are both promoting special adoption events. The first is “Back in Black,” and the second is “Adopt-A-Less-Adoptable-Pet-Week.” Adopt Rescue Dogs/Legacy Ranch will take part in these events by offering black dogs and senior dogs at a reduced fee. Please contact us at bandbtex@eastex.net or 281-229-8830 for more information.
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