An Introduction To Shelter Reform

An estimated 5-10 million (million!) dogs and cats will be destroyed this year in US shelters. There are solutions to this terrible death toll, this American genocide. Some solutions are simple to implement. Others require an attitude change and real efforts by all factions of the rescue community working together.

There are no quick fixes. This series looks past band-aid approaches to solving the causes of these 100-year-old problems. It is time to be creative, to think outside the box. Americans working together put an end to slavery. We put an end to forced child labor in factories. American women can now vote and serve in top corporate and political positions. We can end this slaughter of our beautiful family companions.

In the following series I hope to convince the reader that there is a better way, a way out of this mass killing. On one hand shelter management and industry leaders have for 100 years blamed this holocaust on an uninvolved and irresponsible public. On the other hand these same industry people have kept this "uncaring public" in the dark, unaware of the mass killing going on behind closed doors in veiled secrecy in shelters across the country. Education is the key to making the public aware of the problems facing us. We can put an end to this holocaust by asking the public to help those of us in this noble work.

We are the rescuers and the shelterers. It is our mantle of responsibility to find solutions. An open mind and a willingness to consider new approaches will make this an interesting journey - a closed mind and a defensive attitude will only serve to frustrate the reader.

Finally, the industry's current methods are failing and simply do not work. Millions and millions of destroyed family companions every year attest to our failure as a caring society. We must clearly see the need for new approaches and real solutions.

Respectful comments are welcome. Personal rants and insults will not be tolerated and will be removed without explanation. If the reader insists on defending the status quo then that reader will be asked to seek out other sites where those of like mind can be found. This will be a safe place to explore new ideas.

Joanie Spina ©

 This will be the only graphic picture presented in this series.

This one represents one day's "final solution" at a Las Vegas shelter.

Let this suffice as the reminder of why change is so needed - and needed quickly.