Stray dogs in the crosshairs in Harrisburg

[marmar]

from Salon.com:



The secret lives of feral dogs
A Pennsylvania city instructs police to shoot strays, opening a sad window on animal care in the age of austerity

By Will Doig





Want to get people riled up? Institute a new policy about shooting puppies.

The city of Harrisburg, Pa., learned this last week when an internal police department memo went public, instructing officers of the cash-strapped city to stop bringing its growing number of stray dogs to the shelter. Instead, it said, they should release them in another area, adopt them themselves — or just put a bullet in them. Now that’s the new austerity.

Amid the predictable outcry, the city promised it would reconsider the policy. But the controversy also illuminated a serious — and largely ignored — urban issue: the soaring number of feral cats and dogs, and cities’ decreasing ability to deal with them. “The problem is way worse than people assume,” says Randy Grim, founder of Stray Rescue of St. Louis. “It’s a topic nobody talks about, but over the past 20 years it’s become an underground epidemic in most cities.”

There are lots of reasons for this — reduced animal control, the resurgence of dogfighting – but at base, the feral explosion has coincided with our ever-rising demand for furry little friends. America is turning into a nation of pet hoarders. In 1970 we had 30 million pet cats; today we have 90 million. Dog ownership has tripled since the 1960s. And the more we take in, the more we drop back on the street, where they procreate at a speed that would make Rick Santorum beam. The exact number of feral dogs and cats is unknown, but there are certainly well over 100 million at this point. ................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.salon.com/2012/01/14/the_secret_lives_of_feral_dogs/singleton/

[whathehell]

1. Terrible...Should be reported to PETA. n/t

[RebelOne]

2. I'm sure PETA has already heard about it.

There will be some feedback from them.

[whathehell]

3. Actually, you're right....My bad

for commenting before reading the whole article.

[TheWraith]

4. PETA is too busy agitating on equal rights for invertebrates.

Actually preventing cruelty to animals is off their radar.

[boppers]

10. ...so PETA can kill them instead?

PETA is pro-euthanasia, as they consider it more "humane" than a stray dog living wild.

[whathehell]

14. First of all, if PETA did kill them, it would be humanely rather than by a bullet,

Secondly, I get your point, but there is dispute about whether

one is doing an animal a favor by letting him live at the mercy

of the streets -- cold, hunger, disease, abusers, etc.

I haven't decided which is worse at this point since I think the VERY

best would be to get these animals into homes, or at very least,

no-kill shelters.

[FarCenter]

18. A bullet is humane

A bullet through the brain stem is essentially immediate death. Due to shock reactions, pain would not be felt in the second or so it takes for the rest of the brain to stop functioning.

[whathehell]

19. I'd prefer to see an injection from a veterinarian than a bullet by police or anyone else. n/t

[Tuesday Afternoon]

5. so sad.

[xchrom]

6. Exceptional American stupidity.

We're #1!

[RKP5637]

7. Finally, we've found something to be #1 at ... GO USA!

[whathehell]

16. Um, No...Again...Check out countries like Ukraine (currently burning dogs alive) and China

which was butchering pet dogs in FRONT of their owners a couple of years ago.

They had a rabies problem, and it seems

they found slaughter preferable to vaccinatation.

When you realize that Eastern Europe (the old soviet bloc) have VERY little in the way

of animal shelters or rescues, and you'll see that we're actually WAY down the list.

[RKP5637]

17. That's good to hear!!! I have a friend that works in China off and on that

sent to me pictures of dogs hung out in restaurants, like slabs of beef. It was really gross! Yep, you are quite correct!

[whathehell]

15. Um, no, we're actually probably WAY down the list on animal cruelty

Countries like China, the Ukraine, Iraq, Afghanistan are FAR more cruel to animals than we are.

Much of the old eastern bloc countries, in addition, have few if ANY animal shelters or rescue

operations....Even Puerto Rico, as I've heard from people on this site, are "behind" in the

animal protection area.

[Saving Hawaii]

8. If you don't deal with all the strays, this stuff happens:

[leveymg]

9. Meanwhile, on Wall St., bonuses reached pre-crash highs as East Hampton real estate recovers

Don't worry, be happy. The recovery is working and everything in America is peachy.

[WHEN CRABS ROAR]

11. This is a human issue, reduced animal control, dogfighting,

come on people, do the right thing to change this.
it's your society, don't you know how to run it anymore?

[roody]

12. SPAY AND NEUTER!!!

[FarCenter]

13. The "blue juice" is the solution

[Marrah_G]

20. Unfortunately the worse the economy is the more strays will be roaming

Many of them not fixed.

unregulated breeding is a big problem.

[Sera_Bellum]

21. Crap rolls downhill

in a poor economy. Women, children and then finally the pets.

I work with an older couple who have two male dogs. Any time the mention of getting them neutered comes up, the old man has a bit of a tantrum. "Won't do that to my boys" he growls. How many men who own male dogs can not fathom the idea of neutering their male pets? A female pooch can only have around 3 litters a year, whereas a male can impregnate every day if given the opportunity.

As Bob Barker says.

Spay or Neuter your pet!