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Emilie Kundycki
Mrs. Tillery
AP Literature
Friday, November 18th, 2011
Animal Abuse and Overpopulation in America
A dog wanders the streets, cold, starved and alone. Why has no one cared for it?
There is no reason; this dog, like millions of others, is merely another victim of animal
cruelty and overpopulation in North America. There are so many stray animals, in fact,
that experts admit that, “it is impossible to determine how many stray dogs and cats live
in the United States, [though] estimates for cats alone range up to 70 million. (“Pet
Overpopulation in the United States”) In spite of this, many continue to dump unwanted
pets or abuse them until they either die of neglect or are picked up by animal control. In
turn, animal cruelty and overpopulation strains animal shelters, the governments who
support them, and animal control workers, while also providing moral dilemmas in the
home.
Contrary to popular belief, animal cruelty still runs rampant in the United States.
Generally, law officials classify animal abuse into two categories: passive and active.
“Passive cruelty is typified by cases of neglect, where the crime is a lack of action rather
than the action itself – however… severe animal neglect can cause incredible pain and
suffering to an animal (“Animal Cruelty).” Many owners tell themselves that giving an
animal a bad home is better than no home at all. However, not only could these owners
provide better attention to their pets if they attempted to, but also passive neglect can be
just as cruel to the animal involved. For example, “[many] families dump the dogs into a
permanent backyard existence or an ignored existence once they have a baby (“Why Are

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There so Many Homeless Pets?”).” In this, the family forgets both the physical and
emotional needs of the dog. Pets have been domesticated to the point where it is now
impossible for them to survive without proper care, particularly in the hostile urban
environment of today’s society. Meanwhile, some pets face hostility of a different kind
through active cruelty from their owners. “Active cruelty implies malicious intent, where
a person has deliberately and intentionally caused harm to an animal, and is sometimes
referred to as Non-Accidental Injury (“Animal Cruelty).” This can include harming an
animal to manipulate someone else, performing dangerous experiments on the pet, or any
violence directed at an animal with clear motive. This type of abuse has recently been
brought to attention by the media in shows such as “Animal Cops.” However, awareness
has done little but expose this abuse, with many more knowing of the issue but doing
little to prevent it. Meanwhile, more and more pets are discovered by animal control each
year.
What happens to the victims of this abuse? The outcome varies greatly with each
circumstance. Of those picked up by animal rescuers and given to shelters, “fewer than
half the number of cats admitted to shelters every year find homes, while more than half
of the number of dogs do. Even no-kill shelters turn pets away when they are full
(Nelson).” Those who aren’t adopted eventually end up euthanized, and many of those
adopted are eventually dumped by irresponsible owners. Those turned away often join
them in the streets as well, aggravating animal overpopulation even more. For some,
unfortunately, the cases are far worse. In one court case, “an investigating officer
received a complaint that there was a closed pet shop with dead animals in the front
window. Upon further inspection by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty

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to Animals (ASPCA) officer, several dead animals were observed from the front window
and a dog was heard barking from inside the store (Animal Cruelty/Abuse:
Abandonment).” Aside from the one dog found in the back of the store, all the pets in this
circumstance were dead. Shockingly enough, this was a case of passive abuse. Generally,
the chances of survival for victims of active abuse are even direr, with almost all
requiring immediate medical attention.
One of the main issues for animal shelters and humane societies, also known as
no-kill shelters, is overpopulation. In fact, it is generally accepted that “seven dogs and
cats are born every day for each person born in the US. Of those, only 1 in 5 puppies and
kittens stay in their original home for his/her natural lifetime. The remaining 4 are
abandoned to the streets or end up at a shelter (“Pet Overpopulation Breeds
Euthanasia”).” Against expectations, many of these puppies and kittens are born from
pets that already have owners. Some owners allow their pets to freely mate, believing that
it either makes the pet healthy, they could afford the offspring, or that it provides a
learning experience for themselves or their family; also, many simple say that they cannot
afford to spay or neuter their pet. However, most of these people are disappointed; in fact,
“the cost of spaying or neutering a pet is less than the cost of raising puppies or kittens
for one year (“Facts about Animal Shelters”)." In turn, many unofficial breeders abandon
the newborn kittens and puppies either in the street, shelters, or given away to friends.
However, even the last option is derogatory to other animals, for with each kitten or
puppy taken in by a family or friend, there is another stray left behind in a shelter. This
same situation also occurs when people buy their new pet from pet stores. Often, dogs in
these situations come from puppy mill, a place “where dogs live miserably in tiny cages

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with little or no opportunity to exercise, play or socialize. (“Pet Overpopulation”)” Not
only has the family just left a dog in need of a home in a shelter, but they also encouraged
the abusive puppy mill to continue operating. As more pets are purchased from these
mills, the demand for them increases, and more pets are born and, consequently, abused
and sometimes abandoned. As this continues, more shelters are opened, and the cycle
only continues, stressing all involved.
Animal abuse and overpopulation has begun to show its wear on the country
through its costs, both in personal households and government offices. In the United
States alone, "over $2 billion is spent annually by local governments to shelter and
ultimately destroy 8-10 million adoptable dogs and cats due of shortage of homes (“Pet
Overpopulation Breeds Euthanasia”)." The government is held responsible for supporting
many shelters across the country. Much of the money spent by the government is used to
pay animal control employees or shelter owners; this cost is increasing as more pets are
released due to overpopulation. On a more personal level, families are beginning to fear
the outdoors, as many abandoned pets form “into packs and become a danger to people,
livestock, and cared for pets (Nelson).” Ironically, this enforces the thought that animals
are dangerous, and fewer families are willing to adopt animals. Of course, this only
causes more pets to be left alone in shelter, which eventually leads to their demise. As
more pets are euthanized in shelters, the cost imposed upon the government rises, and the
government, in turn, raises taxes upon the people to pay them. This is particularly
prevalent in America, as “the biggest costs associated with pet overpopulation are felt in
developed nations where the burden of excess animals falls on government hands or into
the laps of charities (Nelson).”

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Of course, there are also hidden costs in pet overpopulation and abuse. For one,
“the overload of pets causes more disease to be spread through a shelter from the large
turnover of animals. Many pets are brought to shelters because their owners cannot afford
the veterinary expenses of maintaining optimum health in their animals (Ames).” Many
shelters nowadays lack the funds to care for the extensive amount of animals brought in,
and so begin to shirk their responsibilities as caretakers. Some veterinarians do offer free
or discounted treatment, particularly for spaying and neutering, but the sheer amount of
pets often defeats any benefits from any discounts. In fact, "it takes an Animal Rescue
Shelter between $20,000.00 to $50,000.00 a month to stay open… [and] to help the next
animal that comes through their doors (Jensen)." Most people aren’t actually aware of the
responsibilities and costs of running a shelter, and thus not only do people ignore them,
but those who run the shelter are often left in desperation or forced to close it down. In
the end, all suffer from animal overpopulation and cruelty: the government, the general
populace, the shelters, and the animals themselves.
Shelters accept the responsibility of former owners when accepting new animals.
Formally, the government cites “public shelters [as] "depositories of living animals"…
responsible for treating those animals "kindly" (“Shelter Laws”).” However, “kindly” is
not defined in the official statement, leading many shelters to reach their own
conclusions. Normally, this begins in a positive manner, with employees and volunteers
dedicated themselves to providing a quality lifestyle to all animals admitted.
Unfortunately, most have abandoned this optimism now that “[most] animal shelters in
the United States are overloaded with pets (Ames).” This overload not only raises costs,
but also forces many shelters to turn to euthanasia in a desperate attempt to thin the

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crowd of animals. "Approximately 8-12 million companion animals enter animal shelters
nationwide every year and approximately 5-9 million are euthanized (60% of dogs and
70% of cats)…. the percentage of euthanasia may vary from state to state (“Facts about
Animal Shelters”)." Almost all are opposed to euthanasia, with few euthanizing their pets
for reasons other than health issues, but nowadays, many shelters feel they have no other
option. Generally, this is done in the most humane manner possible, though some shelters
have begun to use methods such as placing animals in large gas chambers in order to
reduce costs and time spent putting the animals to sleep. In spite of public and private
outrage, euthanasia is rampant in today’s animal societies due mainly to overpopulation.
In the recent years, pet mistreatment has shot to new levels as a side-effect of
American materialism and culture. As an effect, millions of animals now wander the
streets, while more yet are abused, neglected, or put to sleep. Although shelters are trying
to remedy the situation, great strides must be made in order to resolve the issue. Until
then, America shall continue to be plagued by animal cruelty and overpopulation.