Please Support Your Local Rescue
27 Oct 2008
You dont need us telling you how bad the economy is, you already know that. However, you may or may not be aware of the silent victims of this economy…….the animals. Everyday, in every state, shelters are seeing an increase in owner surrendered animals. Many of these animals are being surrendered by people who truely do love them, people who are heart broken at the prospect of seeing their beloved pet euthanized, but have no alternative but to surrender them due to a variety of changing circumstances,such as job loss, forclosure, declining health, eviction……the list goes on. Sadly, many of these animals are euthed within a day or two of coming into the shelter, some are euthanized on the very day they come in ,because of the demand for space. The logic is that a stray may have an owner looking for them whereas an owner surrender obviously does not. The state of the economy is hitting these animals on several levels. The first forementioned is, again the increase of owner surrenders, but adding insult to injury the economy is taking its toll on rescues, both large and small. Donations are down, adoptions are down, calls from people wanting their animal taken into rescue are up………it’s a receipe for disaster. On an almost weekly basis, we here at SFF, hear of another rescue in dire straights and closing, leaving animals abandoned in kill shelters nowhere to go. They are falling victim to gas chambers, heartstick and lethal injection. We dont have enough rescues now, we certainly dont need any of the ones we do have closing. The economy is bad yes that’s true, but there are still things you can do to help. You would be amazed at how many people will not donate a one or five dollar bill for fear it wont help. It DOES help. You dont have a dollar or two to spare? How about sending your local rescue coupons, yes coupons, for dog food, cat food, cat litter, paper towels. Believe me when I say every little bit helps. Open your home and heart, foster a pet for one of your local rescue groups. Spay or neuter your pet(s) so that 2 months from now rescues are not at the shelter trying to figure out how to absorb an entire litter of pups into their already crowded rescue. Donate old towels and blankets. Donate items that you no longer use, most rescues that we know of regularly have yard sales to raise much needed funds. My point is,it doesnt matter who you are or where you are, I can guarentee you that there is a rescue near you that is struggling everyday to try to save as many lives as they can, with the little that they have………………………………… and now more than ever rescues are counting on you to help them stay open. Lives are dependant on it~ May God Bless The Animals~
