Do You Have a Green Pet?
Would you like to hear an astonishing statistic?
Just 2 dogs:- one male and one female – can generate 67,000 puppies over a period of 6 years!
67,000 puppies from one pair!
(See what I mean about astonishing?).
Being eco-friendly means being kind to the environment, and it also means doing no harm.
A little while ago I went to a talk by a local animal rescue and adoption agency where they discussed the problem of stray dogs on the small tropical island where I live, Mauritius.
While we were still reeling from the implication of 67,000 new puppies from one pair, we then found out about the horrific number of dogs that are killed each year because they do not find loving homes.
Up to 4 million animals are euthanized each year – and that’s just in the US.
4 million! That’s 11,000 every single day of the year!
Of course, it doesn’t happen only in America.
Many are killed on the little island where I live too. And in the UK, Australia, Europe and all over the world.
That’s so sad.
A Green Pet
A green pet is a sterilized pet – owners report less aggression, less wandering, and a sterilized pet cannot create unwanted puppies
Stray animals are not green. They often battle to find food, they don’t have proper nourishment for healthy development, and sometimes have to fight for food or territory. It’s a hard and lonely life.
And if they survive long enough, they may face death by being euthanased in the gas chamber.
That’s not green. It’s horrible.
What can you do?
- Make sure your pet is sterilized!
- Spread the word about sterilization! We have enough unwanted animals.
- Encourage your local veterinarian to offer sterilizations at reduced cost at certain times or in certain areas. This will help people who can’t easily afford veterinary fees.
- Remember – if your own pets have puppies, and they go to good homes, you may be stopping another animal in a shelter from being adopted – thus condemning him or her to death.
- Support your local shelter with pet food, donations or volunteering to walk / exercise the animals.
- If your local shelter uses a gas chamber to euthanize dogs, try to stop it – see below.
In the News
Do you remember the news from 2011 in America, about Daniel the 5-year-old beagle who survived the gas chamber?
It was a truly heart-warming story – Daniel was sentenced to death, but amazingly, when the officer opened the door to remove the bodies of the dead dogs, he wobbled out, wagging his tail!
He was subsequently adopted by a wonderful family, and he became a celebrity, appearing on TV, in parades and more. He raised a huge amount of awareness for dog adoptions and the horrors of death by gas chamber.
Sadly, he died in June 2021 – but he did a lot of good during his 10 happy years with his forever family.
What’s Wrong with the Gas Chamber?
Animal shelters have a tough job. There never seems to be enough funding, yet more and more dogs keep arriving, and they all have to be fed and cared for. Sadly, older dogs are less likely to be adopted than puppies, and so in order to make space, many shelters euthanize dogs who have little hope of adoption.
I always assumed this was done humanely. However, in some states in the US, and probably in other countries too, the gas chamber is used. I assume because it’s a cheap method, but I don’t really know.
What’s wrong with a gas chamber? Well, it’s a horrible way to die – and it’s not quick either.
According to the Humane Society of the United States, “Animals are placed into a small, dark box, one that’s sometimes full of the smells of the animals who came before them — many of whom may have urinated or defecated before they died. For several minutes, they may be in the box, terrified, clawing and calling for a way out”. As the gas (carbon monoxide) comes in, “they may struggle for air or begin convulsing before finally losing consciousness.”
Thanks to Daniel, many US states have now prohibited gas chambers.
Are There Gas Chambers Near You?
If your local animal shelter is using any euthanasia method other than an intravenous injection of sodium pentobarbital,
- Protest to local authorities and elected officials and work with the shelter to switch to humane methods.
- Check your state or country laws for prescribed methods of euthanasia and insist that your local shelter comply with these requirements.
- Euthanasia should always be performed by well-trained, caring staff members, and animals should never be euthanized in view of other animals.
Related: which are the greenest pets?
Why are holidays stressful for pets?
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We have a problem with feral cats in our area … they are dropped off and then, not only do these little cats have to fight for food and a place to sleep, they breed and breed. Unfortunately, the people doing this terrible thing aren’t reading blogs like this. Residents in our area are warned not to feed the cats but it’s hard to ignore a suffering animal. My suggestion, to those who really want to help (of course after being sure that their own animals are spayed/neutered) is to bring the cats to a vet to be sterilized. Yes, I’m saying put our dollars where are hearts are and get them sterilized. Then, go ahead and feed them and allow them to live their lives wild. It’s not a perfect solution but at least the animal won’t be able to procreate and it would alleviate the need to destroy them. Also, by feeding them, they won’t go after birds as much. It’s just a thought!
That’s an incredible number of animals euthanized each year. I’m beginning to think people should have to take a test to prove that they can care for a pet.
This is a giant problem everywhere. I was raised in a home with 17 Boston Terriers as my grandmother was a breeder.
The problem starts because every puppy is cute. The pups get bigger and lose some cuteness and they get thrown out. I have no idea how someone could be so cruel and yet it happens. I have 2 dogs, both fixed, all non competitive owners should do the same.
Clare, this is a vital reminder for every pet owner and for every one who loves pets.
By the way, Green Goddess, I am using your advice on using baking soda for my clothes and hair and both have never been softer nor more fragrance free! Thank you!
Sonya Lenzo
You bring up a very good point … can you believe how many pets are euthanized annually?
Dogs are such amazing creatures and we can learn a lot from them, but we also need to do our part in making sure that we keep the population to a managable number.
I remember seeing that video. I hate to hear of animals being euthanized because they can’t find homes for them. I remember when I was in Jamaica about 20 years ago, there were so many “wild cats.” Not lions and tigers, just domestic cats living on the island and belonging to nobody. Most of them weren’t very friendly though.
Lisa McLellan
Clare, it is sad to see when people do not take care of their animals whether dogs, cats, birds, fish or whatever that they have.
Scott Sylvan Bell
That was a mind boggling statistic on how many puppies one pair of dogs can potentially generate over six years. I know that in urban settings, especially the areas of decaying and abandoned buildings, feral dogs are becoming a huge issue – they are not so friendly
While we were in Hawaii at a beautiful beach park looking at the water, I heard an insistent MEW. I thought that it sounded like a cat and turned around to see a very slender kitten mewing piteously for food. The cat also had one eye, but wasn’t afraid of us which surprised me.
We drove away determined to buy the cat some food and stopped in at the closest eatery, a sandwich place trying to buy some meat. The guy told us that there were lots of diseased cats there and that they were eradicated frequently, and he told us he didn’t have anything. So we drove over to a market, and bought some cat food and chicken baby food.
When we returned, the cat came up to us and we fed it. The little thing ate everything. I still think about that cat and wonder if it is still alive. I know that our action is a drop in the bucket. But I just couldn’t leave a little brave cat that asked us, straight up, for some help.
All this to say that our pets should be neutered.