This is the internet and we can't see the OP's body language but I got the impression that she was shocked at what she saw and was reading, when we are like that things do come across different to what is intended. She does put up quite a lot of things that I wouldn't find but she doesn't think we are stupid or blinkered.

People who haven't been into dogs for long don't know that this problem has been going on for much longer. We are continually bullied to get our dogs neutered but since this started we have a lot more dogs in rescue, being abandoned etc.

I thought we had members from the US on here and I am sure some of them would be interested in that, I like to know what my friends from 'across the pond' are having to deal with as many work in shelters.

The pond means the Atlantic so across the pond is across the Atlantic.

It didn't come across to me as that.

You are lucky if you can donate generously to animal charities, I live on an OAP so can't, doesn't stop me helping in other ways.

If you don't want to do something then don't do it, it is that simple, much better than making a song and dance about it.

I only have to look round my estate and see just how many people don't have much, when it comes to feeding the children or the dog there isn't a chose. Rescues are full and won't take any more dogs on especially Staffies so not realising they are probably signing their dog's death warrant the abandon them. When you talk to these people they think their dog will go to another home and are shocked when they fine out just what does happen.

Yes a lot worse than they were a couple of years ago, rescues are turning dogs away in greater numbers and the pounds who will keep dogs longer than necessary are having to pts them to have room for the dogs coming in.

The biggest jump is due to economy but there is also the teenage hooligans who have not had any training, they are regulars in the pounds. When I got Cyril he was just about 2 years old and not toilet trained, hadn't a clue about obedience etc. Christmas Day last year a rescue got their first puppy, she was abandoned in the afternoon so they only had her a few hours. She was traced and they picked her up that morning.

When I worked for the RSPCA one animal home were so full of cruelty cases that they only had 1 kennel for rehoming, they had no choice but to stop rehoming. Rehoming is an extra and not part of the RSPCA, the branches started to do this on their own. It was set up to stop cruelty and education owners on how to care for their pets. One of the arguments for rehoming is they will get the dog anyway when it is abandoned. In those days the RSPCA took in the stray dogs as well.





Marriage breakups form a large part of our problems and some of that is due to the economy as people argue about lack of money.[/QUOTE]

Hi I was aware it was from the USA but my friend sent it from the Irish Republic,I was under the impression that in the states there was a choice of non-kill shelters for people wo due to circumstances are unable to keep there much loved pet and are hoping that there pet may get the chance of a new home,and the other shelters were for lost dogs or cruelty cases and would be in the main used by welfare groups rather then the general public,in a way I originally thought that this system was good,because there are few non-kill shelters and give people some choice,but if this isnt happening and If I was in there situation and felt so desperate,you could end up abandoning the animal in the hope that someone will find it and give it a home,but this action could result in more stress for the animal or the animal ending up causing a road traffic accident.
Dogs are aware,we had a similar incident at a local beach,an elderly dog was seen in a car park just going round to every car sniffing,but no one could catch it,the groundsman at the golf club, saw the dog and a figure earlier and made the assumption that the owner may have met with an accident,and promptly called the coast guard out,which resulted in a seach, they then managed to catch the dog as it couldnt leave the area due to a cattle grid, it turned out that the owner who was elderly had forgotten the dog,so what I am trying to point out is that a person seeing a dog running loose,could come to the wrong conclusion and call welfare which could still result in the dogs demise,unless they had some way of contacting the owner by the dog having a micro-chip or telephone number,and in some states of the USA you could be prosecuted for abandoning a dog,having the choice like we have over here where the Dogs Trust say they would never put a healthy dog down is worth so much when people have to make a decision then not having the choice,if we do not respect the shelters we have and keep on giving up dogs because we can as we have no restrictions,one day we will find ourselves like the USA,but I know on this forum we are all dog lovers,but sometimes we all become complacent and never think it could happen,seeing something like that link makes us all more aware,even if it upsets and having that knowledge means we can all do something to avoid this happening over here.
I do not make assumptions or judge others,I allow those who think they are on higher plain then us lower mortals,you write an important thread,then its importance is lost due to someone who reads all threads and if you make a faux pas,it seems to make their day to dis it,I am glad to oblige if it means giving that person some satisfaction,while they are targeting me,they are not hurting others to get there fix.Gemini54

TBH as your post came over as one long sentence with several mixed in themes so Iwasn't too sure what your general point wasmeant to be


but just to say if someone in UK sees a dog running stray they would not get the wrong end of the stick by calling dog warden , that is what you are meant to

and you already can be prosecuted in UK for deliberately abandoning adog

and there is no such thing as purely no kill shelter including the dogs trust

this is because they can alalso run selection policies turning down taking in certain dogs that may end up being. PTS by owners and when they say they never put down ahealthy dog unhealthy alalso includes aggression or health and safety risk tto members of staff

PS. - my grammar poor as well . Apologies. using phone keypad. its a nightmare

Me too,I use a contraption to read as I have poor eye sight,You are right,but it gives people in a funny way some form of comfort in the thought that there might be a happy ending for there pet.And it would be the same in the USA. its about choice.But what shouldnt be a choice is micro-chipping,Ibelieve that all puppies should be micro-chipped,In Wales I think next year it will be compulsive that all dogs are microchipped which means that dog owners will be held responsible for their pets,and it may stop people taking on a puppy for the wrong reasons,because in some cases not all people get a cute puppy,it then grows into a dog and isnt so cute anymore.As I have said,everyone here on the forum loves dogs,and has experience in all things dog but that link really upset me and I was in bits for days,because even cats didnt escape and they can be self sufficent.
Thank you for taking time in replying and have a lovely xmas Gemini54

Microchipping will hardly do any dogs a bit of good. Microchipping only works if a shelter gets claim to a pet that somebody actually wanted. That rarely happens.

Also, if someone finds your pet and decides to keep him, a microchip will not do you any good. What truly needs to happen is people need to stop getting pets that they don't intend to keep. Which is the whole issue.

Just because a person microchips their dog doesn't mean that they did anything wrong by surrendering the dog to a shelter. Since when was that illegal? Do you think returning a dog to a person that doesn't want it is a good idea?

I mean in cases of abuse... sure that microchip might help a bit. However, it might not. Who is to say that a dog that ended up in a shelter that seemed abused was abused by it's owner? He ran away and might have been abused by someone else, or abused by the streets.

I honestly don't see what requiring people to microchip will truly do. Might send down adoptions rates as people get annoyed with all the regulations, but what good would that do? More dogs would end up put down without a chance.

Does anyone actually get a pet without intending to keep it? I'm sure they all have every good intention at the start.

You can put procedures in place until they come out of your ears and make you sick, education is the key but no government is ever going to put the kind of time and money needed into that one....

I think microchips are incredibly useful, when we found a little westie a few weeks ago he had got out of his collar so only way we could find his home was get the vet to scan him and ring them up. They were so happy to see the little chap seems he has his collar removed when he is put in his crate in the back of their car but managed to wriggle free and make a dash for it before they got it back on him. So worried and they didn't expect a happy end but the microchip reunited them in about 45 minutes.


Betty gets hers tomorrow when she is knocked out for her spay. Been looking forward to it for months as I feel so much more confident when they are chipped that they will be returned if they get lost or stolen.

Make no mistake, I didn't say microchips were useless. One of my dogs is microchipped. I merely said that requiring it be done will not really serve much purpose. Most people do microchip from what I gather.

Most people I speak to here have their pet microchipped. But your pet isn't even likely to wind up where someone can even return it. Around here, if your pet disappears, you (usually) never see it again.

I know several people who have had their dogs run away, several microchipped and they never saw the pet again. Since many, many people here keep their dogs outside on chains, in kennels, etc. it happens often. The animal is often killed by cars, wild animals, or other loose pets.

If not, someone steals it or it's taken to the shelter and they often don't even BOTHER to scan for microchips. Also, if it suffers some form of injury or illness while gone, a shelter will usually immediately put it down to prevent spreading of disease and to dispose of "unadoptable" dogs.

I also noticed a small issue when speaking about microchips a while back. Some people tend to think that a microchip works as a homing device or a GPS on your dog. It doesn't! If someone doesn't take a special device and SCAN for it, then nobody will ever know it's there. Meaning if your pet is stolen, you'll not get it back.

Imana... usually people intend to keep their pets, until they don't. What I meant was that people aren't prepared to stick with a pet for it's entire life. It's because they don't do any research, they just act on impulse.

As soon as their kids stop liking it... or as soon as it needs training or acts aggressive or something else that isn't the dogs fault, they give up on it.

Though honestly, I think it's the people who let their pets roam about and who breed for no reason (their litters go to random people and half of them end up in shelters and breed rescues) who are really causing the overpopulation problem.

Surely people surrendering unwanted pets isn't the main cause of the overpopulation problem???

Exactly If people where educated they might think twice before getting a pet (of any kind) but can you imagine what would need to go into place in order to do that

I think the puppy farms have had a lot to do with overpopulation over here in the UK in the last few years, you certainly don't see so many strays any more.. are puppy farms a problem over in the US?