Editor:
The gruesome revelations of dogs being shot and buried in mass graves at Miranda’s Rescue have understandably sparked outrage and heartbreak. Every one of those dogs was a life that mattered — a creature that deserved a loving home and a better future.
Unfortunately, Miranda’s Rescue is not unique. Stories of rescues gone bad are all too common because there are simply too many dogs and not enough homes. Animal shelters and rescues are overwhelmed with unwanted animals. Day after day, intake exceeds adoptions, pushing an already strained system beyond its limits. As a result, healthy, adoptable animals are euthanized in shelters or transferred to rescues where there is little oversight or follow-up.
The only way to prevent these tragedies is to address the root cause rather than just the symptoms: prevent the births of unwanted animals through widespread access to affordable spaying and neutering.
California cities and counties spend more than $400 million each year on animal control. It is time to redirect a portion of that funding toward prevention, making spay/neuter services affordable for every pet. Fewer animals being born means fewer animals entering shelters, increasing the likelihood that those that do will find responsible, loving homes.
Prevention is more humane and it is fiscally responsible. The cost of spaying or neutering a pet is a fraction of the cost of impounding, housing, feeding, providing veterinary care for and, in many cases, euthanizing that same animal. Investing in affordable spay/neuter programs will reduce shelter populations, save taxpayer dollars and prevent suffering before it begins.
Anger over what happened at Miranda’s Rescue is justified. But outrage will not solve the pet overpopulation crisis. If we are serious about ending the suffering, it is time to invest in prevention today so that fewer animals face uncertain futures tomorrow.
Jennifer Raymond, Ferndale
This article appears in Humbuggery in Humboldt, Part 1.
