Kisscafe

" The Greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way that its animals are treated"
-Mohatma Gandi

If you've ever experienced the unconditional love of a pet, you know that it can be one of the strongest bonds that many people have. As animal lovers everywhere know, owning a pet can be rewarding, comforting, and an endless source of love and affection. Pets offer their unconditional love and become true family members within a home, and ask for little in return. They want nothing more but to please their families and have food, shelter, and love in return.

Sadly, however, millions of pets are abandoned every year and face a grim future. Euthanization is a common fate met by over 4 millions innocent dogs each year. Many are abandoned by people who can no longer keep their pets, who no longer care to keep them, or simply were unaware of the responsibilities of pet ownership. While shelters who take abandoned animals in don't want to kill the dogs who come in, there is often simply not enough room, resources, or quality of life for those who aren't adopted. The euthanization of animals is something that many have been made to believe is 'unavoidable', and a sad reality that can not be changed.

There is a common misconception that shelter dogs have behavioural problems, that they bite, or that they cannot be trained. Certainly, while some animals are brought to shelters for behavioural problems, many are taken in because their owners cannot afford to keep their pet, or because of a new job, a new baby, or one of many other reasons. There is nothing 'wrong' with the dogs, only with the circumstances of their owners. These, like so many wonderful family pets, just want a home and a second chance. Sadly, many of them don't get their second chance. Those with behavioural problems can often be helped, and worked through to create happy, loving members of someone's family.

DogsInDanger.com is a non-profit organization working to change this. Based in the US, they are a nationwide service, working to find homes for shelter animals scheduled for euthanization. Through exposure, they work to spread the words about dogs who close to the end of their time in the shelters. Simultaneously, they are spreading the word about the misconceptions of sheltered animals and encouraging people to consider adopting animals who would otherwise be killed, rather than buying from other places like pet stores. Dogsindanger doesn't sugarcoat the desperate fate that many of these dogs face. They post pictures and information about dogs who are about to be euthanized. Though euthanization and the display of scheduled dogs is uncomfortable for animal lovers everywhere, they stress that "the truth is uncomfortable (and) by making it personal, we believe more people will be compelled to help these dogs."

Happy- one of the many dogs saved
by DogsInDanger.com

For many dogs, living in a shelter is the last line. They face hard lives, where they are eventually killed by those they trust and love. For animal lovers, this is extremely sad and heart breaking. But, not everyone can afford to rescue all the dogs they see, especially if they don't want them to face the same fate of shelter life again. So, what else can you do?

For starters, spay or neuter any pets you own. Many pets end up in shelters because there are so many pets and so few homes. You can also make donations to local shelters, support no-kill organizations (like Vancouver Orphan Kitten Rescue in the Lower Mainland -www.orphankittenrescue.com) by offering a foster home to a pet, and donate to organizations working to save animals from death simply because they don't have a home. Visit DogsInDanger.com to learn more, make a donation, search for a friend and save a life.

Sandy- another DogsInDanger rescue

Visit DogsInDanger.com here.

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