Metro Animal Shelter in Tuscaloosa announced that they have reached capacity. Every cage and kennel is full. That may be good news if you are planning to adopt a pet, because you have more choices but not such good news for the shelter residents and staff.
Metro Animal Shelter takes in about eight thousand animals a year. Some of those will be reclaimed by their owners, and some will be adopted, either from the shelter or at adoption events. Sadly, too many will be euthanized because there are not enough homes and there just is not enough room to indefinitely house thousands of animals comfortably and safely. And even if they built more shelter space, housing animals in a kennel environment is not a good life for the pets. To be a pet, an animal must be loved and cared for and played with. How can you do that for several thousand animals - and what kind of life does a dog or cat have when confined in a cage indefinitely?
There is a better answer than confinement, or the alternative, euthanasia, and that answer involves you. The answer is PREVENTION - making sure YOUR pet does not have a litter of puppies or kittens. It means taking your pet to the veterinarian and having it spayed (if it’s a female) or neutered if it’s a male.
And if you are interested in finding a new pet, you can go by Metro Animal Shelter to check out the dogs and cats in need of homes. Or visit the website at MetroAnimalShelter.org and see the pets available for adoption. If you love pets but aren’t sure about a long-term relationship, offer to foster a pet. It gives you the chance to see how you like having a pet, without making a long-term commitment. And it gives the pet a chance to get out of the cage and learn how to socialize with people.
The key words for today – foster – adopt – neuter – spay – four ways to make life better in our community when you’re speaking of pets.
__>^..^<__
