Stray pets are a heartbreaking and pervasive problem all around the world, including the United States. Thankfully, rehabilitation programs and groups are working hard to reduce the number of animals on the streets and in shelters.
In this article, we’ll explore the role of rehabilitation in breaking the cycle of stray animal overpopulation.
About Stray Animals in the United States
According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), approximately six million companion animals find themselves in animal shelters every year. This figure is fairly evenly split between dogs and cats. Unfortunately, not all these pets make it to a “forever home”. Nearly one million of these animals are euthanized every year. Believe it or not, this figure is actually an improvement. In 2011, nearly three million animals were euthanized.
I know the numbers look bleak. As a result, you might be a bit pessimistic about the plight of stray animals in the United States. The good news is that public awareness of the issue has been shown to reduce the number of animals abandoned at shelters and increase the number of animals adopted. In fact, the ASPCA credits public education about stray pets with part of the monumental decrease in the number of animals euthanized since 2011.
By taking an interest in the rehabilitation of stray and feral animals, you can help increase the number of animals in loving homes. While there are numerous steps in the rehabilitating process, there are four main elements to consider:
- Providing medical care
- Addressing behavioral issues
- Preparing animals for adoption
- Raising public awareness
Let’s dig a bit deeper into each of the above and look at how they ultimately save millions of animals’ lives each year.
Provide Medical Care
Providing medical care is the first step in rehabilitating animals and breaking the cycle of stray animal overpopulation. Many animals on the streets don’t have access to clean water and food, much less veterinary care.
This often results in animals with health problems of varying degrees, ranging from minor malnutrition to broken bones and worse. Before they can be placed in foster and, ultimately, loving homes, rescued animals typically need medical care. This will typically include spaying or neutering animals, specifically to avoid the cycle of overpopulation continuing.
Additional veterinary assistance for stray animals is provided in a few different ways. Animals who are healthy enough to move are typically transported by good Samaritans or animal rescuers to a vet clinic. If the animal was brought in by a rescue organization, they typically cover payment and often have established relationships with vets in the area. Depending on the care they need, animals might be with the vet for anywhere from a few minutes to a few weeks or more.
Once they have received medical care and are on the road to recovery, it’s time to place animals in a foster home and start addressing behavioral issues.
Address Behavioral Issues
Stray animals often have behavioral issues. They aren’t intentionally causing problems but are simply reacting to their circumstances. Some animals have been abused, either on the street or in prior homes, and might be frightened by human interaction. Other animals simply haven’t been socialized and don’t understand the human-pet dynamic. Whatever the reason for the concerns, addressing behavioral issues is the next step in finding pets loving forever homes.
The way behavior modification is achieved depends on both the reason behind the behavior and the animal’s circumstances. Ideally, all stray animals rescued from the street would be placed in foster homes dedicated to rehabilitating them. In this situation, the foster typically works one-on-one to address the root cause of the problems. For some animals, this includes reintroducing them to human interaction and building trust. For others, it means breaking habits such as resource guarding, house training or displaced aggression.
Whatever the reason for the issue, behavior modification is one of the most important steps to securing stray animals’ loving homes.
Prepare Animals for Adoption
Preparing animals for adoption isn’t necessarily an individual step, but rather a series of steps that take place while providing medical care and addressing behavioral issues. The goal of this step is to help animals thrive in their new forever home. Forever homes are homes that house formerly stray animals for the rest of their lives.
There is an increased push by professionals in the animal rehabilitation industry like Virginia Chipurnoi to ensure pets are given the care to thrive in new homes. Virginia, a distinguished animal rights leader, also notes that enhanced pet-owner compatibility screening can help break the cycle of stray overpopulation.
Preparing animals for adoption includes ensuring they know basic commands, are housebroken, and are safe to be around people and other animals. Of course, some pets simply aren’t safe to be around all people or all animals. Some animals might snap at children, for example, or become aggressive with animals of the same species. If these issues cannot be wholly corrected, then potential adopters are made aware of the issue before they commit to the animal in question.
Once their behavioral issues have been addressed and their basic house-breaking needs have been met, preparing animals for adoption often translates into helping them become accustomed to full-time indoor living. Pets who have spent time on the street might not be comfortable inside right away, so this step is quite important to the success of any adoption.
Raise Public Awareness
The most effective rehabilitation campaigns focus not only on placing animals in loving homes but also on educating the local community about stray animals. One of the biggest awareness campaigns revolves around impulse buying. This is a particular issue around the holidays.
Many pets purchased for holidays like Christmas end up in shelters waiting on new forever homes. Gifting animals might seem like a fun idea, but the responsibilities that go along with pet ownership are not for everyone. By educating the public about the perils of animal overpopulation, the number of pets on the streets and in shelters might continue to drop in the future.
Stray animals might be a long-standing issue, but that doesn’t mean they have to be a forever problem. Through compassionate rehabilitation and public awareness, we’ll break the cycle one pet at a time.
