Rescue shelters have been around for quite some time, and through the years, they have helped to improve animals’ standard of living. We have all seen countless photos on social media and commercials on television that show us what these animals go through. From being abused by their owners to being strays on the streets, these animals are robbed from the love, secure access to food, and proper veterinary services that they deserve. Whenever I saw images like that, I would always ask myself why. Why would someone abandon an animal that has done nothing wrong to them? Why would someone harm an animal that can’t even defend itself? And no matter how many times I asked myself these questions, and countless more, I was unable to fall upon a legitimate answer. When I first heard of rescue shelters, I thought that their sole purpose was to rescue animals off the streets, or from the homes of their abusers, and then put them in adoption centers where they would hopefully find new loving owners. But through my research I learned that the shelters’ jobs go much deeper than that, and they do work that goes unnoticed. These rescue shelters are working to not only to create a better life for the animals that end up in their shelters, but also fighting to improve the lives of all animals across the nation.

 

What first got me interested in animal shelters and their work was the ASPCA commercial. ASPCA stands for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and it was the first humane society in North America (“About Us” ASPCA). As I watched the commercial play out on my television, a wave of sadness washed over me. I wasn’t able to grasp how a person could turn their back on an innocent animal, an animal that they promised to love and take care of. These animals who are unable to defend themselves, are left vulnerable and alone, with no one to come to their defense, no one to treat them the way that they deserve. The commercial angered me because it reminded me of the time when I was bullied. The people who yelled constant insults at me never thought to consider the fact that I had feelings, and the same thing goes for the poor animals who were neglected and abused by their owners; you don’t have to look further than Google or even Instagram to see what these poor animals have to go through. But animal abuse goes deeper than just physical maltreatment from the owner. Dog fighting, puppy mill operations, and animal hoarding are the other common forms of domestic animal abuse, and there are thousands of cases that occur each year, but sadly there are many instances that constantly go unnoticed by many.  

 

One of the forms of animal abuse mentioned was puppy mills. Puppy mills are commercial dog breeding facilities where dogs are housed together in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions with the lack of proper veterinary care, food, or socialization (“Puppy Mills”). All the dogs that live in these mills live a miserable life, but I feel that it’s the females that have it the worst. These dogs are forced to constantly reproduce to make more and more puppies, with little to no healing time in between giving birth. With this being said, the dogs aren’t guaranteed a long life because of the trauma that is placed on their bodies from constantly giving birth, so unfortunately, they die soon after. In some cases, their babies don’t have a long life either. Once they’re born, they’re immediately ripped away from their mother, unable to receive the proper love and care that any baby, human or not, receives from a mother.

 

If you look up puppy mills, you’ll find photos that show dogs living in wire cages that are stacked on top of one another. Since these dogs are not properly taken care of, they are usually infested with flees, and have diseases like pneumonia, heart disease, and many other health issues. The animals from these mills are then either sold to pet stores, where they have prices from $1000 upwards, or to regular people off the streets. So many pet breeders are operating without any government oversight, that it is hard to determine the exact amount that exits today; but it is an estimated 10,000 puppy mills that are currently operating in the United States today (“Puppy Mills. If the breeders are unable to sell the animals to pet stores, the dogs are either killed or thrown on the streets, where they then become strays.

 

I discovered that another key factor that contributes to stray animals on the streets is overpopulation. Millions of cats and dogs are euthanized in animal shelters because there isn’t enough space to house them all (“Animal Population Control”). Lack of sterilization (spaying/neutering), proper veterinary care, behavior training, as well as the attitude towards pets as objects that can be disposed of when no longer needed are all causes of overpopulation (Greenebaum pg. 289). A major way that shelters work to decrease overpopulation is by fixing every animal that comes through their door. If an animal organization is able to rescue animals from the mills or just off the street, and then take them back to the shelter where animals are neutered/spayed, it helps to minimize the issue that is overpopulation.

 

Animal Humane, an organization dedicated to animal welfare, backs the passing of laws and regulations that requires that all cats and dogs that are adopted from shelters be sterilized. I know from first-hand experience that the cost of having your pets fixed is quite expensive, and many low-income families are unable to afford such surgeries, therefore this causes their pets to have babies that they are unable to take care of. In most cases, these pet owners can’t usually afford the costs of extra animals, and so typically these animals are just hoarded in the homes, or the owners put the unwanted pets on the streets. By shelters providing these procedures for free, or at a very low cost, it takes a major burden off the chests of current and future owners. I was able to find a shelter here in Tallahassee that provides the service of sterilizing animals before they are brought into new homes.

 

Ms. Perri Dale, assistant director at the Tallahassee/Leon County Animal Service Center, explained how the local shelter provides the same service, as well as offers educational classes to owners whose dogs aren’t fixed. When she informed me about the classes, I was shocked because I never heard of something like that being offered before, and I feel that it’s a great way to help educate owners about the current issue that exits in our nation today. The shelter also has a Facebook page, which I have decided to use for my text. The Tallahassee shelter has many posts, that range from requesting donations to posting about upcoming events that they are hosting. They are able to use social media as a way to broadcast to the local community about what animals are in need of.

 

As I looked through the shelter’s Facebook page, I saw that the most reoccurring theme were photos of animals that have been become available for adoption. Either these animals are currently in foster homes or they’re still living at the local shelter. Either way the rescue shelter uses this page to notify their local community of animals that are in need of a home. Scrolling through the page, my heart would break over and over because each picture showed an animal that not only experienced a rough life, absent of love and care, but also were in desperate need of homes that were willing to take care of them and treat them the way that they deserve. Though some of these animals are able to find foster homes, for most cases it isn’t permanent, so the task to find a solid home for these animals becomes more urgent. I believe that the use of social media to reach a wide audience has countless amount of benefits for the animals, as well as the shelter itself. By posting photos of animals that are currently up for adoption online, the shelter is able to reach out to wide array of people who are looking for a new, furry addition to their family.

 

On top of helping the cats and dogs that are in desperate need of new homes, the Tallahassee shelter also uses their page to advertise upcoming events. They recently posted an event where they will be offering a Low-Cost ID and Rabies Clinic. This is just one example of how the local shelter, as well as others across the nation, are working to help low-income families take care of their furry animals and maintain the health that is necessary for the animals to survive and live a happy life. Seeing all the events and classes that are offered at the shelter is very commendable in my opinion, because in today’s economy it becomes hard for many to be able to afford the sufficient amount of care that is necessary for their animal. Along with providing these services, the Tallahassee Animal Shelter, along with others across America, fight for animal rights.

 

Most animal shelters also advocate for animal rights, which is the general belief that all animals have the same rights as humans and that “humans should not be able to use animals for their own personal gain or benefit,” (DeMeo pg. 42). In terms of rescue shelters, this belief is very important because through their work, one is able to see that they fight for the well-being of animals. Many people are unaware of that all animals are capable of having feelings. They too feel the same amount of pain that humans do, but that goes unnoticed because unlike humans, animals are unable to speak up for themselves, and unfortunately, the abusive owner neglects this fact. But shelters, as well as other animals’ rights advocates, fight to inform the public about the animal mind and the impact that abuse and neglect has on them. Along with informing the public about the current issues of animal abuse, these shelters and advocacy groups participate in animal court cases.

 

In my interview with Perri Dale, she explained to me that since the shelter is city operated, they work together with animal control. If there is ever a reporting of animal abuse, animal control is notified of the situation, and they will then go in and retrieve the victim, in this case the abused animal. Dale went on to tell me how the animal is brought to the shelter for examination, like external or internal injuries. The animal shelter is able have a trial where they go to court; they are able to defend and/or act as a witness for the animal (Dale). If they are unable to come to a decision in the local court, the case then goes to the state court (Dale). DeMeo explains the how the “second school of animal ‘rights’ believes that animals should be given ‘property-plus’ status,” meaning that all animals are more than just mere property to their owners, and so they reserve the right to a fair trial if necessary if there are any signs of intentional neglect and/or abuse. In the cases that were mentioned, it was shown how Florida courts have made progress towards extending the rights of animals, allowing non-abusive owners to “recover damages for the owners’ mental pain or suffering caused by injury to the pet,” (DeMeo pg. 44). By allowing owners and shelters to take cases to court, it shows that the Florida legislature is recognizing that animals do, in fact, have rights, and hopefully the states that haven’t made these changes as of yet follow in suit soon.

 

Through this research project I was able to learn so many things about animal shelters, as well as the hardships that many of the animals that are in these shelters faced previously. I gained so much knowledge about a community that I hope to join in the future. Though my ultimate goal is to own my rescue shelter, I realize that it won’t until later on in my life, which I am okay with. Until then I plan to hopefully start volunteering at the Tallahassee Animal Shelter in the fall, and gain some experience in the field. I will be able to apply what I learn later on when it’s time to open up a shelter of my own.