Since Stanley has come into our care, we've been overwhelmed with people asking us to take in dogs.  There were a lot before, but now it has sky rocketed.  The emails number in the hundreds and that's only in a couple of days.  We are sent postings on facebook of dogs who are days and hours away from euthanasia.  Dogs who, unless somebody steps in, will be put to sleep. 

If you consider that those dogs are only the very tip of a large iceburg, we are looking at a serious problem.  The Humane Society of the United States estimates that in the U.S. alone, there are 3,500 animal shelters killing between 6-8 million dogs a year.  And that is just in the United States.  That number does not include Canada and other countries. 

This number is a good indication that there is nothing special about Stanley's story.  The world was shocked to see Stanley, sick and defeated, sitting in the shelter awaiting certain death.  To animal rescuers, that image is no longer shocking.  It is heartbreaking, sure.  But for us, it is all too common. 

While we struggle in vain to post these lost souls on facebook and email out alerts, we see the same thing time and again.  "DOG NEEDS OUT, WILL BE PTS IN HOURS", "DOG ON HOLD, WILL BE GONE TOMORROW", "WILL BE PTS TODAY".  The reality is, we post and post, but these dogs will be lost.  There are too many, not enough homes and not enough rescue groups or money to house them.  They will, by the thousands, be put to sleep.

I'm not trying to be harsh, although I paint a grim picture.  There are ways we can solve this problem.  We need tougher laws around pet ownership to put an end to the suffering and abuse that bad owners cause.  We need to make it harder for people to own a dog and breed it to stop backyard breeding and puppy mills.  We need to, if nothing else, get people to SPAY AND NEUTER their pets. 

It's not right that at this moment, with thousands of dogs rotting in the shelter like Stanley was, I can open up the newspaper and find litters of puppies for sale.  There is no need to add to the problem.  It costs less to spay a female than to take proper care of her and the puppies.  Many areas have spay/neuter clinics.  

Please, please, please.  Don't add to the problem.  If you want a puppy, shelters have them by the dozens.  If you want a certain breed, think about this; an estimated 25% of the dogs in shelters are purebred dogs.  Adopt, don't shop.

And, as Bob Barker would say, spay and neuter your pets!