Animal shelters as we know them are often founded as a means of preventing cruelty to animals. The Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA) was founded in 1868 after a Boston lawyer heard about a pair of horses who were forced to race to their deaths.
But for as long as animal sheltering and humane societies have existed, so has animal euthanasia in some form or another - and many of the same societies that protect animals from harm also put them to sleep.
This is not because animal shelters are by nature cruel. "The reason they're forced to euthanize is because they started out as a dumping ground for unwanted animals, so they ran out of room and had to get rid of them somehow," said Sarah Cornetto, who is currently studying for her master's of science in animals and public policy at Tufts' Cummings Veterinary School's Center for Animals and Public Policy.
"They started out trying to be more humane, because originally there were very inhumane euthanasia methods, like mass drowning," Cornetto said. "That's how humane societies got their start - it's their heritage."
Modern-day reasons for euthanizing animals vary by region. "One issue that we continue to have in Massachusetts is a pretty massive cat overpopulation problem," said Annette Rauch, core faculty member and research assistant professor at the Cummings Veterinary School Center for Animals and Public Policy.
"Many shelters are still euthanizing cats because they don't have enough cage space - there are more cats coming in than people coming to adopt them," Rauch added.
The overpopulation is worsened by the large number of undomesticated cats in the region. "Cat overpopulation is complicated by the issue that there are so many feral, unsocialized cats or previously tamed abandoned cats that are not spayed or neutered, and who are having many litters of kittens, year after year," Rauch explained.
Another problem in New England is the large number of aggressive pit bulls raised for fighting. "We're seeing a large increase in pit bulls - a big dog issue facing the region," Rauch said. "Too many pit bulls are having puppies, and some parents are not good choices for breeding because of their temperaments."
For dogs that are completely un-adoptable because of aggression, euthanasia is usually the only choice.
According to MSPCA spokesperson Scott Giacoppo, although shelters in the Northeast face a number of challenges, the rates of adoption and euthanasia for these shelters are comparable to national averages.
In the past, euthanasia could take nearly any form: using a gas chamber, drowning, breaking animals' necks, and so on. Current veterinary practice typically avoids inhumane procedures.
According to the Humane Society of the United States' (HSUS) statement on euthanasia, "the euthanasia of animals has been acknowledged by most animal-protection organizations as an acceptable means for alleviating or preventing suffering. However, the euthanasia of any animal involves a difficult choice, requiring that each case be evaluated on an individual basis."
Most shelters in the U.S. follow the HSUS' recommendations, which go into much further detail about particular euthanasia methods. Shelters try to reduce the number of euthanasia procedures they must accomplish through several methods. But the most effective and simplest way to reduce animal euthanasia is through early spaying and neutering of pets.
According to Cornetto, since northern shelters have more animals with behavioral problems than unwanted litters, "it shows that spaying and neutering helps reduce the number of unwanted animals because the animals that shelters are getting are returned pets, instead of animals off the street having litters."
"It seems like spaying and neutering does help, and the question is how to get people who aren't doing it to do it. Hopefully we can spread the success from more urban areas into rural areas," he added.
Rauch agreed that the solution to the euthanasia issue begins long before an animal reaches a shelter. "I think even in best case scenario, there are always going to be a certain number of animals that will find their way to a shelter," she said.
"We just want to minimize that number and try to have people understand that it's a big commitment and it's a lifetime commitment to have a pet," Rauch said. "It's not okay to get a cat and two years later treat it like a sweater, where you can get rid of it if you don't like it anymore, and if you want another one you can get it."
So will there ever be a world without animal euthanasia?
Rauch thinks it's possible, but not easily attainable. "We're always going to have to euthanize animals with behavior problems and highly aggressive animals," she said. "But all of these other animals that are being euthanized because of their coat color, or ear mites, or because the owner moved, or developed allergies, or had a new baby - these reasons we hear over and over again - if we had the will, we would stop euthanizing these animals."
Rauch believes that the movement towards less and less animal euthanasia has already begun. "We're moving towards euthanasia being less and less acceptable," she said. "We don't have the facilities to house these animals for a long time until their problems are solved. We're never going to adopt our way out of this problem. There have to be more programs for spaying and neutering, more behavioral work, and more counseling to match shelter animals with adopters."
