Killing Cats and Dogs In the Name of Mercy

Welcome

There are a hundred million dogs and cats in America. We cuddle them, talk to them, make them part of the family. Every year we buy them $5 billion worth of food, not to mention collars, bowls, flea spray, vaccinations and little pink sweaters...

We love our "pets." Except, of course, when we have to move, or get tired of walking them, or sick of paying the vet bills. Then we abandon them. By the millions. We tell ourselves they’ll find a new home, but the truth is, when we drop them off at the animal shelter, we drop them off to die.

So many unwanted dogs and cats, so few homes for them. They get handed over to the dog pound, abandoned in parking lots, let loose in parks, or simply allowed to drift away from home and never searched for: mangy mutts, elegant purebreds, pit bull pups, fluffy kittens, dogs that look like Rin-Tin-Tin, and Lassie, and Toto.

People take their cats to the shelter and say they want to get rid of them because the animals don’t match the colors of their new decorating scheme. They want a new cat, one that’s color-coordinated. Some people go on vacation and drop off an animal; they don’t want to spend the money on boarding; they say they’ll pick up a new dog or cat when they get back.

The result: four out of five dogs and cats are left unclaimed. Those unclaimed are given a lethal injection of sodium pentobarbital. Then they are thrown into a large plastic hamper, wheeled outside and tossed like bags of garbage into an incinerator. Nationwide, between 7 million and 10 million unwanted dogs and cats are killed each year (the numbers are inexact, because this is one subject few want to research). Man’s best friend has become man’s biggest victim.

Excerpt, See Spot Die by John Dorschner

This site also features other ways humans use and abuse dogs and cats: dog racing, cat and dog eating, cat and dog research, to list just a few. Visit our Resources and Links sections to learn more.

Killing Cats and Dogs In the Name of Mercy:
An Animals Voice Production

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