A mixed Retriever dog lay at a busy road junction; she is wounded, in a bloody state with torn flesh. It was a crowded Monday morning and cars were speeding past as commuters are busy and want to get to work on time. No one stopped to help this disabled dog as it was too late to stop work and do something about it.
Four puppies of this mother Retriever were waiting under the overpass, waiting for their mother to bring them food and also to nurse them. It’s been a long time since the Retriever mom left the scene three days earlier and was injured by a hit-and-run vehicle. It is unlikely that he will return.
As there is no one to provide sustenance in the family, the cubs will starve and the whole family will become extinct.
This story, although sad, is common. In fact, there are thousands of dogs that have not been spayed and are with puppies. This is because stray dogs interbreed with each other. These dogs survive through the country’s forests and city streets.
Some of these stray dogs and puppies are picked up by local animal services for rehabilitation; these are the luckiest. Some of these dogs, mainly puppies, are likely to be adopted. These dogs are cared for by animal services and fed for some time. In case no one is willing to adopt such dogs, the animal services staff puts them to sleep painlessly after waiting some time.
Across the country there are a large number of stray dogs that fill the cages of SPCA buildings in the hope that someone will love and pet them. These unwanted dogs include lots of puppies and adult, purebred and mixed breed dogs, large and small, black, brown, red and white.
These dogs wait patiently in anticipation with confident eyes and wagging tails.
Time has run out for several of these dogs and they are likely to be executed. Not many people come to adopt these dogs and puppies. Every day new puppies and kittens arrive seeking shelter; supply far exceeds demand. The funds and space available to care for these animals are scarce and this is normal in any animal shelter. This is the case in most human organizations around the world.
The growth of the canine population in the United States has increased considerably due to indiscriminate breeding and many of these puppies are homeless. There is a greater chance that a purebred dog will be adopted compared to a mixed breed.
Most SPCAs have an adoption rate of less than thirty percent of their annual dog intake; most of the others have fallen asleep.
A sad ending for man’s best friend!
While this seems cruel, this process is likely to continue unless the growth of the canine population is stopped by spaying and neutering the dogs. This will avoid indiscriminately littering unwanted puppies, which can die only a few weeks after birth.
