I know we are in a recession, and everyone is hurting

[Mari333]

today I went to our local Humane society. I went to the back, to see the dogs there, the little sweet innocent faces stared up at me, and begged me to take them home. little guys and big guys, cages of them, all looking lonely, all wishing they hadnt been left there, all sad, all crying and hoping for a home. Large dogs, little dogs, some of them sitting in corners just waiting, alone. No one to hug them, no one there to cuddle with them, or pet them or tell them what good boys or girls they are.
I will be volunteering there 2 days a week to love them up. they need it.
In the meantime, no matter how hard it is for you, if you can even think about your own humane shelter, and give them a call...volunteer an hour a week to love them up, walk them, hug them.
or donate. I donated today, what I could, and I am about to adopt another one. Hes half chihuahua and god knows what else. I wanted all of them, they are all so in need of love.
I was feeling sorry for myself this morning, but after I went there, it shook me into reality. The most innocent among us are in dire need of help, the sweet sweet animals who need a friend, who will stand by us no matter what, who, I think, if there is a God, they represent the best of what 'God' is supposed to be, Unconditional love .

so, if you can adopt, do it. If you can donate, do it. If you can volunteer, do it.

Yes, I cried. I cried because so many of them need a home. Thanks for listening.

[SammyWinstonJack]

1. K&R!

:hug:

[sinkingfeeling]

2. The last time I visited our shelter, I went home with 3 dogs. I can't go and play with them and

then leave them there. I send money instead.

[Mari333]

4. Im going to force myself to not attach as best as I can

when I go and hug them and love them up. It will be a lesson in non attachment for me, I hope I can do it. I just thought, well, someone has to do it. I have a small house with 3 cats, a dog, and a parrot, but I can handle one more dog. But,. yes, I understand what you are saying. Its going to be so hard not to want to take them all home.

[liberal_at_heart]

3. My daughter just joined the Humane Society as a teen volunteer

I'm thinking of volunteering too.

[madmax]

21. That is so cool

Mother/Daughter team helping the little canine unfortunates. Who knows what warm memories you'll both have of these days. Do it :hug:

[Gidney N Cloyd]

5. Fostering is a great thing, too.

If you can't make a permanent commitment but can spare some space and some love in the short term.

[MiniMe]

7. Totally agree with you

You can help them, and you have to consider yourself a stop on the way to their forever home.

[DesertFlower]

6. seems everytime i go to PetSmart,

i see customers with pure bred dogs. this really pisses me off. why not adopt instead? it's seems the older dogs and cats have a hard time being adopted. puppies and kittens are cute, but so are older animals.

[MiniMe]

8. There are breed rescues too, and purebred dogs in the shelter

I volunteer for a lab rescue, and in general, you can't tell them from the best dogs at PetSmart. And we do adopt out older dogs too. It may take a while for them to find their forever homes, but when they find it, they have a great home.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

11. I got my lab from a rescue group.

[debbierlus]

18. My dogs are purebred from a brother & sister!

They look all beautiful and perfect (they are American Eskimos, and one is just the covergirl for the breed). However, these two I adopted from a accidental litter, not from the humane society, but from a family.

They may look perfect, but their in-breeding is far from pure and desireable. These guys could have ended up in a shelter, if we didn't come along.

So, don't judge a book by its cover. Many purebreds end up in shelters and for adoption.

[Fire1]

9. That's why I can't volunteer so I donate. n/t

[kestrel91316]

10. I can't walk past the kitties for adoption at PetSmart because I wind up

wanting half of them. I WILL be in the market for a slightly used middle-aged female shorthair with pleasant demeanor who likes people and petting, but not until spring. I have one (and ONLY one) mascot position open.

[Paper Roses]

13. I am hoping to adopt a kitty in the spring too.

Can't do it now for financial reasons. Have to make sure I can pay for heating the house this winter.

It is $150.00 to adopt a kitty at all our local shelters and that is just not in the cards now.

[donheld]

12. k & R

[Lorien]

14. I adopted a kitty from a rescue group this year. I thought that four would

be too many in this little house, but they all get along wonderfully. The little tuxedo cat is chasing two of my other guys around this morning. They're having a great time!
Rescue groups everywhere are hurting for funds and volunteers. They've been deluged by "foreclosure" pets. Please consider becoming a foster if you don't want to adopt.

[bdamomma]

15. I applaud you for doing what you are doing.

poor things they just want to be loved and some companionship.

[RagAss]

16. Just for the record.....this is a Depression.

[Individualist]

17. I adopted two cats from animal rescue in April

I looked them up online because I couldn't bear to go to a shelter and have to leave without bringing all those homeless animals home with me.

[Greyhound]

19. K&R. Heartbreaking.

:cry:

[superduperfarleft]

20. I'd also like to remind people to spay/neuter ALL of their animals. n/t

[katkat]

23. low cost spay neuter

Many places have low cost spay and neuter and vaccination clinics. Ask your local animal shelter for info about finding those.

[bvar22]

22. Our two "Mousers" came from the Humane Society

This is MaggiePie while she was waiting for us to bring her home.
She now owns us, and has us well trained.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=243x6017

[katkat]

24. maggiepie, what a sweetie n/t

[bvar22]

26. Thank You.

I'll tell her you said that.
She LOVES stuff like that!

[AllTooEasy]

25. Have you been to a HUMAN homeless shelter lately?!

Talk about sad! %25 of them are vets. An increasing number of them are Irag/Bush War vets. 1.5 million are children.

Repukes don't care anything about them. Bill O'Reilly denies they exists. Try looking into their eyes!!!

Here's my solution:

a) Release the sheltered dogs and cats. We have stray cats in my neighborhood. They hunt productively and multiply. Same result for stray dogs everywhere else in the world. Plus, they shouldn't be in cages anyway, at the shelter OR IN YOUR HOUSE. There are wild/free animals, not a toy for your amusement!

b) Adopt a human, volunteer for Habitat for Humanity, and pass out food, clothes, and love. Show them the value of having "Bleeding Heart Liberals" in this country!!!

[AlienGirl]

27. You can't release domestic animals into the wild--that is a terrible idea

Dogs and cats have been bred for so long to be human companions that "setting them free" will result in most of them dying horribly, of starvation or predation, and taking an awful toll on the native truly-wild animal populations besides. Dogs and cats are domestic, not wild, and they belong in their rightful place, as the rulers of our living rooms.

Tucker

[katkat]

28. AllTooEasy, your idea is terrible

Some segment of the population thinks domestic animals can fend for themselves outside. This is almost always completely wrong.

This is an idea that leads to immense suffering for abandoned animals.

It's people who care about animals like me who have to deal with the starving, hit by cars, killed by dogs or coyotes, cats that you and others with your beliefs dump outside. Dogs who are abandoned have it just as bad.

[NickB79]

32. Sure, release stray cats, if you want every songbird in the neighborhood dead

Your idea of releasing more of a non-native predator into our ecosystem would wreck havoc on wildlife. "Luckily", most domestic cats released into the wild die within a year or two from exposure, diseases, other predators, cars, etc (I put "luckily" in quotes only because it's lucky for the birds, not the cats). And don't even get me started on the effects of roaming packs of starving, feral dogs roaming the streets with regard to human safety.

[Mind_your_head]

29. I went to the nursing home today and saw the same thing ~ basically. eom

On edit: love is love. Sorry to be so harsh.

Sometimes it's best to let love be/find itself. Love finds other love. Be it people or dogs, cats, and other living things.

[lpbk2713]

30. Too late for a rec.

But thank you for what you do.

[ohheckyeah]

31. I'm not able to adobt a pet right now

but I do volunteer at the local Humane Society doing the layout and design of the newsletter. There are probably different things you can volunteer to do if visiting the pets isn't your thing.

PS - as others have said, PLEASE spay or neuter your pet.