Every September marks Animal Pain Awareness Month, which is devoted to informing pet homeowners and the general public alike concerning the significance of animal well being and security. Just like individuals, animals endure many types of ache — similar to well being and bodily points, and even much less acknowledged kinds, such because the probability of them being adopted or overpopulation in shelters.
“It’s easy to forget all the things that animals in our community are going through when it’s not something you have to see on a daily basis,” Kenna Hillis, a board member and vetting coordinator for Athens Canine Rescue, mentioned.
Athens-Clarke County Animal Services director Kristall Barber mentioned they’ve euthanized greater than they’ve prior to now and are attending to the purpose the place they’ve to contemplate time and house as a result of they do not have the room.
Animal Control Services needed to euthanize 38 dogs and 31 cats in response to house points and low adoption charges final 12 months. Hills mentioned 50% of the dogs of their program have been there for over a 12 months, and it’s rather a lot more durable to get dogs adopted.
According to knowledge from Best Friends Animal Society, Georgia ranked #6 within the nation for animal shelter deaths in 2021, and the variety of dogs and cats killed in U.S. shelters elevated from 347,000 to 355,000. These causes spanned from low workers charges, to a lower in volunteers and decreased adoption charges.
“I mean it’s not natural that an animal would live in a cage for that long,” Barber mentioned.
Many of the dogs that are available in have heartworm, Hillis mentioned. With any sickness, it makes the adoption course of longer. In truth, if the sickness is just too far, most shelters don’t have house to maintain the animal and name for euthanization.
Barber added that they’ve additionally gotten extra surrenders than they’ve prior to now two years. She attributes this to housing and financing turning into more and more exhausting on individuals.
Not each story is gloomy although. Hillis mentioned that they’ve had many dogs discover joyful houses, similar to Stevie — a canine that got here in having to have each eyes emergency eliminated. Even although his eyes made him uncomfortable, she mentioned he was the sweetest.
Kelsey Fredriksen, the advertising and marketing and communications director at Athens Humane Society, mentioned that they’ve a saying: three days, three weeks, three months — it takes a canine three days to comprehend he’s not in shelter, and it takes as much as three months for him to comprehend he’s home.
An animal nonetheless wants time to decompress after leaving the shelter. Many animals get despatched again as a result of they had been by no means actually given an opportunity, Barber mentioned.
“I think it comes down to you saving a life,” Barber mentioned. “Bottom line. When you adopt from a shelter, you’re saving a life. When you adopt from a rescue, you’re probably saving two lives because you’re saving the dog that you adopted. And you’re gonna save another dog [that takes it place]. So it’s literally about life saving.”
Animal rescue is consistently altering, and with that, it turns into troublesome for animals to all the time be supported. Fredriksen does acknowledge the problem of balancing an animal’s wants becuase of the multitude of personalities they’ll have.
“We have to be the advocate and that voice because they don’t have them,” Barber mentioned. “They can’t tell you what’s wrong.”
