Life without Satchmo: ASPCA

I am a huge animal advocate. Every dog I have ever owned was a rescue. Every cat I ever owned was either a rescue or a stray that decided to live at my home. Pets are such incredible beings and we, as humans, treat them so off-handedly and callously. They are so much more than "just animals". They are sentient beings with feelings, thoughts, and desires just like us. They even understand some of our language. I have written about the need to adopt from shelters here and here before so this post comes as no surprise to anyone.

We as a nation have a serious problem with over-population of pets. Because of this, thousands of pets are killed every year in shelters. These innocent lives are lost because of the ignorance of some people. There is such an aversion to spay and neutering in this country and I can't understand it. Research clearly shows that preventing unwanted pregnancies increases the lifespan, the health, and the happiness of pets.

Breeders should have to be licensed and educated on safe and ethical breeding practices. Backyard breeders need to be banned; with heavy fines for every unwanted animal they discard like trash.

The alternative is to foster and/or adopt pets from shelters and rescues. This has become increasingly popular in recent years, and for a good reason. The simple act of taking in a homeless pet and providing it with a safe and loving home can make a significant difference in the life of an animal. Not only does fostering and adopting help animals, but it also helps to reduce the number of animals that are euthanized in shelters every year. Now, let's explore the benefits of fostering and adopting pets, and how it can save the lives of dogs and cats yearly.

Statistics

According to the ASPCA, approximately 6.5 million companion animals enter animal shelters in the US each year. Out of this number, 3.3 million are dogs and 3.2 million are cats. Unfortunately, not all these animals get to find homes, and around 1.5 million are euthanized yearly. The sad reality is that these animals end up in shelters due to no fault of their own. They may have been abandoned, lost, or surrendered by their previous owners due to a change in circumstances. However, with the help of foster and adoptive families, these animals can find a new chance at life.

When a dog or cat is taken in by a foster or adoptive family, it frees up space in animal shelters, allowing them to take in more animals in need. This, in turn, helps to reduce the number of animals that are euthanized due to overcrowding. By fostering or adopting a pet, you can help to save the life of an animal that might have otherwise been put down.

Benefits of Fostering and Adopting

Fostering and adopting also provide a wide range of benefits for both the animals and their new families. Animals that have been through a traumatic experience such as being abandoned or surrendered often have behavioral issues that can make it harder for them to find permanent homes.

By fostering a pet, you can provide them with a temporary home and help them overcome their issues. This, in turn, makes it easier for them to be adopted by a permanent family. Adopting a pet also comes with benefits such as providing companionship, reducing stress levels, and even improving physical health.

Another benefit of fostering and adopting is that you can save money compared to buying a pet. Most animal shelters charge a small fee for fostering or adopting a pet, which covers the cost of vaccinations, spaying or neutering, and other medical expenses. In contrast, buying a pet from a breeder can cost thousands of dollars, and the pet may not even be guaranteed to be healthy or free from genetic disorders.

Breeders and responsibilities

As stated earlier in this post, we need to look backyard breeders who put money ahead of the animals. This is unethical and usually ends badly for the animal and/or the person who "buys" that pet. You can help to reduce the demand for breeding pets simply by adopting or fostering from shelters.

The breeding of dogs and cats for commercial purposes often results in inhumane treatment of animals, and many of the offspring are sold to pet stores or online marketplaces, which perpetuates the cycle. By fostering or adopting, you can help reduce the demand for breeding and promote the adoption of homeless pets.

So you see you can help to save the lives of dogs and cats yearly by providing a temporary or permanent home for an animal in need and you can help reduce the number of animals that are euthanized in shelters due to overcrowding.

Additionally, fostering and adopting come with many benefits for both the animals and their new families. So, if you are considering getting a pet, I encourage you to look into fostering or adopting from your local animal shelter. You could be saving a life and making a significant difference in the life of an animal in need.

Here's a before picture

Here's the after pic!

	We Never Gave Up on Aurora

We met Aurora in 2010 at a rural Tennessee sanctuary gone terribly wrong. Sick and severely neglected dogs were chained to posts, roaming the property or seeking shade from the summer sun in overturned barrels.

We rescued all 85 dogs from the property that day and brought 12 back to the ASPCA’s headquarters in New York. One of them was Aurora.

When Aurora arrived in NYC, she was very fearful and sick. She had a severe heartworm infection, a malignant mass in her mammary gland and serious dental problems. But the ASPCA never gave up on Aurora.

Under our care, Aurora was treated for her ailments, all the while receiving love and socialization from ASPCA staff. And as she regained her health, something else happened: Aurora came out of her shell, revealing herself to be a major goofball and a total sweetheart.

But finding a home for a 65-pound older hound in the city wasn’t easy. Fortunately, because of your support, the ASPCA has the resources to wait for just the right home for our animals. And one day in July, about a year after Aurora arrived in New York, it happened.

David Cruz met Aurora at our Adoption Center, and it was love at first sight. And after learning about her past, he told us, he and his wife “wanted to give her a home and a place where she could be loved.”

This year, Aurora is spending her first holiday season in a loving home, and it is entirely thanks to the generosity and compassion of supporters like you. Still, for every animal enjoying a happy ending, another is waiting for your help. Please make a gift today and help us change even more animals’ lives. Pets like Aurora are counting on you.



	For the first time in her life, Aurora is home for the holidays. The ASPCA rescued Aurora from a dire hoarding situation in 2010. This year, she’s celebrating the holidays in a loving home. Aurora’s story is possible because of the generosity of supporters like you.