Why Do Animals End Up in Shelters?

Every year, animal lovers working in shelters are left with no option but euthanasia after being unable to find them new homes. The question many of these devoted volunteers find themselves asking again and again is how do these animals, many of which are sweet, loving souls, end up in shelters with a desperate need for a permanent home?

They come from all over the place. Having worked in animal shelters, there are a few common scenarios that crop up again and again.

Those that find strays. Some people come into the shelter with a stray dog or cat that has been hanging around for a few days, that they finally managed to catch. Usually they've been spotted by the kids, and often the family asks to adopt the animal if it's real home isn't found, which is often the case.

Those that claim they're strays. There have been situations when someone has brought an animal to a shelter (usually a cat), and say that it's a stray. The shelter scans the animal and finds a microchip. They ring the number...and a mobile phone in the person pocket starts to ring. Talk about an awkward situation.

Those that pass away. Nobody plans to die, and sometimes pets are suddenly left without their owners after a tragic event, and end up in a shelter. Often these pets have special instruction such as 'must not be separated' because they've spent their entire lives together. The experience of being in the shelter is often traumatic for them, and although being kept together makes it slightly easier for them emotionally, it makes it harder for them to find new homes. This is because most potential adopters are looking for one pet, not two.

Those that don't care. Some people just fail to realise that by not spaying or neutering their cats or dogs, they're going to be eaten out of house and home by hoards of kittens or puppies. This doesn't seem to bother them though; when they kittens or puppies get to big, too expensive or aren't cute any more they dump them at a shelter to make room for the next lot.

The end result is that animal lovers working in shelters are left with the heartbreaking job of cleaning up other people's mess. Some situations are unavoidable, but much of the heartbreak could be avoided by spaying and neutering pets, and by having a contingency plan for them if something should happen to you, or if you become unable to keep your pets at home.