Dear Editor:
Thank you for reporting on the problems associated with limited-admission animal shelters ("Issue of 'kill' and 'no-kill' shelters not so clear-cut," 10/18/05).
PETA applauds shelters which, in the face of horrendous companion animal overpopulation, make the heartbreaking - but compassionate - decision to euthanize animals rather than turn them away.
Because many "no-kill," or limited-admission, facilities turn animals away when there is no room, animals are often abandoned, left at the mercy of traffic, starvation, or cruel people - fates far worse than a painless injection of sodium pentobarbital administered by trained, caring shelter staff.
Those who aren't turned away are held indefinitely. They are often caged for months or years, becoming more withdrawn, "unhousebroken," and antisocial day after day, giving them even less hope of being adopted.
With the six to eight million dogs and cats who enter U.S. shelters each year, the solution isn't "no-kill," but rather "no-birth," a goal we can reach by pushing for mandatory spay/neuter legislation. Please visit HelpingAnimals.com for more information and to download or order a free brochure on getting such legislation passed in your community.
Lindsay Pollard-Post
Staff Writer
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
