01/03/2025
Agreed. Embrace euthanasia. The irresponsibility runs amok, fueled by willful ignorance and apathy.
Shelters/rescues are overwhelmed, animals continue to be returned, abandoned, and are producing litters with little hope of a home. Forget the myth that all cute, healthy puppies get adopted into nice families, or families at all. Puppies are growing up and living their adult lives in shelters. In rural communities in Arizona and across the U.S., it is commonplace for animal control to euthanize healthy puppies because there is no place for them to go and the incoming never lets up. Shelters are wrongly judged and shamed into keeping animals under their roof who are unadoptable just to keep their euthanasia rates low, as if they are the problem. So, they give away animals for free to anyone who has a pulse. Not helpful.
There will always be a segment of the population who will be irresponsible and have no interest in treating animals as sentient beings with needs, which is why regulations are required to address this segment of the population. Arizona Senate Bill 1234, currently in the legislative process, would add language to existing animal cruelty laws that make it a crime to not provide an animal with adequate and appropriate food, water, and shelter. The most basic of basic decencies. This is only in play because of the now well-publicized lunatic with a history of abusing dozens of special needs dogs.
I’d prefer society take the route of regulating the supply, treating the ownership of animals as a privilege, not a right, and requiring shelters and rescues to only cater to adopters who are able to demonstrate they are part of the responsible segment of the population. But, since that isn’t part of the overall animal welfare equation, embrace euthanasia and use euthanasia statistics for what they are: a measure of the issues in the community that need to be addressed.
Raise the bar.
WHY DO WE RECOMMEND EUTHANASIA?
❌ We secretly love killing dogs.. NO!!
❌ We really don’t want to help.. NO!!
❌ We want to guilt trip owners.. NO!!
Here’s the reality.. There are too many dogs & not enough good humans. Period. We are constantly begging for fosters, adopters, donations & transport. No matter how hard we try, we are not Best Friends & we cannot “save them all” We are bailing out the ocean with a teaspoon.
HARD TRUTH: When a dog is “rehomed” ie: given away, especially for free online, their future is uncertain. Sure, there are lots of great folks that want to help, but unfortunately, there are too many others that are simply irresponsible & they won’t care for the dog as the previous owner may have & may more easily abandon it, or worse. And, as we are seeing, there are too many folks looking for dogs to abuse & torture. (don’t believe us? Google Brooke Scalero)
Think about it.. when you get a free cup at the movie theater, what happens to that cup? It gets tossed on your floorboard, it gets dirty and gross, it gets stepped on and broken. It never made it to the kitchen, was never washed, was never properly cared for, because it was FREE. Now, think about that special coffee mug you found in that groovy little shop.. you wash it carefully, it has its special spot in the cabinet, and you look forward to drinking your morning coffee in it. You CARE about that mug because you INVESTED in it. The same goes for our furry companions. 
When a pet is given away to a stranger (or high intake shelter with minimal adoption requirements) without the support of a legitimate rescue, all control over that pet’s future is surrendered.. and unfortunately, most folks won’t be as kind as the original owner when problems arise. The number of pleas we get for dogs at risk of being shot is staggering. The number of dogs being dumped is SKYROCKETING. If we choose to euthanize, at least we control the ending, and we can make it loving and beautiful. That is the lifetime commitment we make when we bring these animsls into our lives. Yes, it is heartbreaking.. yes, it will rip your guts out.. yes, you will have to live with that choice. But pretending there is a super awesome home just waiting for the pet you no longer want or are unable to care for is willful ignorance. And it is dangerous.
Let that sink in.
Personal responsibility, people. Stop blaming rescues & shelters.. We. Are. Drowning.
