No matter where you live, whether or not you're aware of it, your region is most likely suffering from a pet overpopulation problem. It's simple mathematics.

If allowed to breed indiscriminately, one female dog (bitch) can have at least one litter of between six and ten puppies per year (a) (on average - some have more). Those puppies will then grow up to breed between six and ten puppies a year each. And so on, and so on, and... The numbers are staggering. In a six year period, one bitch and her descendants can number over 67,000 dogs. (a)

Sadly, there just aren't enough homes out there for all of these dogs. So, where do they all wind up?

A very select few find loving, responsible families to call their own. They are the lucky ones.

According to the Humane Society of the United States estimates on pet overpopulation, between six and eight million animals (dogs and cats) wind up in shelters each year. Half of those animals find homes. The other half are humanely euthanized. These numbers do not take into account the puppies and kittens who are killed outright at birth because the moms' owners can't be bothered to find homes for them. Nor does it account for the numbers who are turned loose to fend for themselves in the wild and die in that futile attempt.

OK, so now you're all ready to go out and adopt one of these unfortunate pups whose only crime was to be born, and save him from a terrible fate. Umm....where do you start?

A really great place to begin is at Petfinder. Petfinder is a fabulous website where rescue groups and shelters from across the continent register themselves and post the animals they have up for adoption. What's really cool is that you can search for available pets in your area based on your postal/zip code. Furthermore, you can narrow your search based on the size, age and gender of the dog or cat you're looking for. The website is completely free to use. It is funded by corporate sponsors and donations from the public.

Whoa! Hang on a second. Some of these groups are charging upwards of $250 for a mixed-breed. What's up with that?!

Here's what you need to understand about rescue groups:

1) They are not in it for the money. Anyone who believes that should spend a week in their shoes and tell me how far you get with your finances at the end of that week. They rely strictly on donations from the public and assistance from their foster homes. Most of the time, they pay for things like food and vet bills out of their own pockets.

2) They will never, ever, allow a dog or cat to be adopted out until it is spayed/neutered. If the puppies or kittens are too young to be speutered (I love that word), they will have you sign a contract promising to have the deed done by the time your pet reaches six months of age. More than likely, the adoption fee you pay will include the cost of that spay/neuter, so you're covered on that account. You can bet your bottom dollar that they will follow-up with you, too. If you don't get it done, they are well within their rights to take the animal back. They will also ensure that the puppies or kittens are up to date with all of their vaccinations and have been thoroughly checked out by a veterinarian.

Now, as with any other group of individuals, you will have the odd bad apple who doesn't follow these procedures. If you find someone who is willing to sell you an intact animal with no spay/neuter contract, run far and fast and, if possible, report them to your local SPCA or Humane Society.

3) Rescues are run by volunteers. The animals are not housed in one location. They are usually placed in foster homes. While in their foster homes, they are assessed by the foster parent. Any issues are worked on, along with housetraining and basic obedience training (if needed).

This is one of the reasons why adopting from a rescue group is such a great idea. The foster parents really get to know the dog's true character after a few weeks together. When you visit a dog at a shelter, it may not behave normally because of the stress it's under due to being in a cage and/or being surrounded by so many unknown animals. When you adopt from a rescue that has its dogs placed in foster homes, the foster mom will be able to tell you everything about the dog's true character and whether or not it is a good fit for your family and lifestyle.

So, yes, it will cost you a little more to adopt a dog from a rescue group than it will to pick one up out of your local paper. But, you'll be getting a dog that has been speutered, vet checked, dewormed and is up to date on all his shots. Now, go ask your vet how much that would cost you out of your own pocket.

As an added bonus, you'll be getting a dog who has been partially (if not completely) trained and is known to be a good fit for your family and lifestyle, so you're less likely to bring it back because it's 'too much for you to handle'.

I don't know about you, but that kind of peace of mind is worth the extra money.

(a) Doris Day Animal Foundation

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This entry was posted on Sunday, August 27, 2006 at 2:12 p.m.. You can skip to the end and leave a response.