The phenomenon of overpopulation in companion animals refers to the large number of abandoned domestic cats and dogs. Iguanas and other exotic animals are also frequently abandoned by owners due to their size, and to the difficulty in caring for them. In the United States alone, between 5-7,000,000 animals are brought to shelters each year. 3-4,000,000 of those animals are subsequently euthanized. This is due to the limited number of adoptions and the fact that most shelters do not have the resources for the long-term care of these animals. As a result, most humane societies, animal shelters and rescue groups urge animal caregivers to have their animals spayed or neutered to prevent the births of unwanted and accidental litters.
Read more about Overpopulation In Companion Animals: Effects Upon Animals, Purebred Preference, Organizational Impact, Global Effects
Famous quotes containing the words companion and/or animals:
“A soul that makes virtue its companion is like an over-flowing well, for it is clean and pellucid, sweet and wholesome, open to all, rich, blameless and indestructible.”
—Epictetus (c. 50–120)
“Old women snore violently. They are like bodies into which bizarre animals have crept at night; the animals are vicious, bawdy, noisy. How they snore! There is no shame to their snoring. Old women turn into old men.”
—Joyce Carol Oates (b. 1938)