Why shelters kill animals in their care
By isak, July 16, 2011
This list shows reasons why an animal may be killed in one of our kill shelters. In my opinion, it is simply a list of excuses for the purpose of either easing someone’s guilt about needlessly taking a life or granting them a pardon for their laziness in finding homes for the homeless in their care. I say this because my pets are wonderful individuals, but some would die in a shelter based on this list of “reasons” even based on interviewing them at home on their own turf. Now add the shelter environment which hardly seems like a warm and friendly place…
I can’t see why killing animals based on this list is necessary. Did anyone think to ask them if they wanted to die? I have seen animals more dead than alive choose to fight the fight for life… and win. But that’s a whole other post.
How do your pets stand up to this test?
- Aggressive towards humans
- Behavioural
- Blind
- Cat flu
- Compulsive, obsessive, stereotypic behaviour
- Congenital defects
- Contagious (quite vague)
- Critical distress
- Deaf
- Declared dangerous
- Dental disease
- Dominance aggression
- Dominant behaviour
- Ear mites
- Escape behaviour
- Excessive vocalization
- Failed BA (behaviour assessment)
- Fearful/aggressive
- Feline leukemia
- Feral
- FIV positive
- Guarding behaviour
- Hair loss-demodex
- Hair loss-non specific
- Hair loss-ring worm
- Head trauma
- Heartworm positive
- Humane grounds
- Hyper reactivity to stimuli
- Hyperactive
- Idiopathic aggression
- Injured
- Kennel cough
- Kennel crazy
- Lack of pigmentation (albino)
- Litter box aversion
- Neurological problems
- Old
- Orthopedic problems
- Owner request
- Parvo
- Parvo contact
- Poor condition
- Seizures
- Separation anxiety
- Sick
- Spraying stress
- Tick paralysis
- Timid/fearful with accompanying anxiety
- Too many cats (space)
- Too many dogs (space)
- Too young
- Trauma
- Unsocial
- Wolf hybrid
- And of course, in some areas, just because of BSL (Breed Specific Legislation: the dog “looks” kind of like a Pit Bull or other legislated breed)
I myself fail this test on many points. Please don’t take me to a shelter when I get even older than I am.
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Most of these are ridiculous & BSL is criminal as well as unjust.