The Future of Dogs in an Animal Rights America
by Walt Hutchens



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Shelter Euthanasia

Where Do Shelter Animals Come From?

Shelter populations consist of four main groups:

1. Animals picked up or turned in for euthanasia. They are ill, injured, old, or the owner doesn't want or can't keep the animal and believes it wouldn't adapt to a new home. Since euthanasia is a condition of the transfer of ownership to the shelter there's no easy or direct route to reducing this group.

2. Feral animals -- In most localities there will be few feral dogs but numbers of cats may be significant. These animals rarely can be socialized as pets and many shelters euthanize them automatically.

These first two groups represent the proper working of our pound/shelter system, promoting public health and safety by keeping our streets free of unowned and unsupervised animals and providing the final kindness to those that would otherwise suffer needlessly.

3. Puppies/kittens that never obtained a home -- either born wild and picked up early enough to allow socialization, or born in a home but not placed. This group is the most likely to be adopted and across most of the country *few* puppies and kittens are now euthanized.

4. Adult pets, generally mostly young ones. These had a home but the home failed. Some are unadoptable by reason of health or temperament, some will be adopted. In most places the rest -- adoptable young adult animals -- are the great majority of reducible shelter euthanasias but the number varies from zero to quite substantial, depending on local conditions.