FYI - Stats - Page 1

Jeeze, Steph, you would deny some people their right to an income? <dripping with sarcasm> 

That's a lot of dogs.
When Carly and the Poms leave this life, I'm of a mind to foster some older GSD's.  It just breaks my heart to see those
10, 11, 12 year olds taken to the pound after a lifetime of loyalty.  I would love to give an old timer a loving home until his time is up.

I hope it's a typo, but I'd bet it's not.  With the economy down like it is, and how hard it's hit folks, it's no wonder that so many dogs have been turned in at rescues, shelters, or euthanized at the vet's office.

I applaud those who chose to give their dog a humane ending rather than dump it, and I know there are a lot of folks who have made that choice, but it doesn't make the numbers any harder to swallow.  Shame that things have gone this way.  I don't anticipate any improvement on that front until the economy starts to actually, really recover, then people will be out buying more puppies...Maybe the rescues can get most of their attention first..Give some of those dogs homes.

I know that there are a lot of good breeders out there, but there are just as many who are just dog factories, and it's about the money, not the fact that the customer may give the dog up or euthanize it due to the economy at some point.  What a shame!

Crys

 Nope, no typo! 
Just google the tonage of dead bodies that are being disposed of in landfills for the bigger cities.
Sickening.

The estimates by the Humane Society of the United States is in the range of 3-4 million each year. This number is down from years ago, when the totals were up into the 15-20 million per year. One statistic that all sources agree on is that more cats are put down than dogs.

Regardless of what the exact total is, people who are realistic know that more animals are euthanized than ever justifiable in this country. Mohatmas Gandhi once said something to the effect that a nation is judged by how it treats it's animals. I believe this to be an important note concerning American society in that we certainly do not meet this ethical measure at all. Despite years now of "no-kill shelters", all of you out there doing rescue know that when push comes to shove, and there is no home for a dog or a cat, sooner or later it will be euthanized.

The economy has seriously affected many of us doing rescue. In my own state I know of several groups, including my own GSD rescue, who have had to curtail or shut down operations. Food prices continue to skyrocket, donations (if there were any in the first place) are down, and most of the smaller legit groups like mine and Steph's can't pay the expenses for medications and food.

I have done GSD rescue for 15 years. I have seen and heard it all. This long experience is, in part, responsible for some of my attitude towards those who come here only to promote their own self-interests, breeding litter after litter of pet dogs. There are plenty of unwanted and decent pet dogs languishing in every shelter in the country. Sooner or later, those who are not adopted for one reason or another, end up euthanized....a polite way of simply excusing a nation full of people who cannot think of the welfare of anything except themselves.

Yes, if we were discussing how we treat our children or elders, or those less fortunate in life for one reason or the other, I would be saying the same things. We are not a great nation by this measurement. In the meantime, I know nothing I say, or do, will make any difference. People come here to this forum hoping we will offer absolution for poor breeding practices. And there are many factors that constitute poor breeding practices......