Meet Meli

Meli is my new foster dog. Her name means honey in Hawaiian. She is very sweet but very scared. Poor puppy (only 8 months) wants to play so badly, but can't quite let herself go. Her owners surrendered her to the shelter because they moved and she was so shut down there, she didn't eat and was growling, shaking and snapping at everyone. She's really opened up in the 24 hours I've had her. She will now wag her tail at us and kiss my hand. Sadly, she does not like poor Roman. He looks to me as she growls at him, "What's wrong with her?" and calmly walks away to lie down. She does like Tikka, who does not like her much. But, they are all dealing and I expect in the next few days things will settle down.

Meli looks like a Brittany spaniel mix and I'm sure will be adopted quickly. There was another puppy at the shelter (4 months) put on the euthanasia list and I will probably be fostering her, as well. She was put on the euthanasia list because she sprained her paw putting it through the cage (though, it seemed to have healed and she was happy and friendly-how could they think to kill this puppy?). It was really heartbreaking to see all the dogs in the Lost section, waiting for someone who will never come. There were two, beautiful young shepherds, too.

Many people say that the pet overpopulation problem is due to people not spaying or neutering. I actually wonder if we have a pet overpopulation problem. More like a human commitment problem. While I agree that s/n helps control unwanted births, I feel the problem lies with people not honoring their commitment to their dog or cat when they first got them. If you adopt an animal into your home, it should be for the life of that animal. If people were responsible and didn't treat animals as disposable merchandise, then there would hardly be any in the shelter. Most of these animals had a home at some point. Very few are true strays (most likely, someone dumped them). A commitment means that when you 'move', you take the time to find a place that will let you have your dog...or, you don't get a dog to begin with if you think there's a chance you'll be moving!

There is also the problem with shelters killing adoptable animals, instead of using their resources to help save them. Most of the dogs are doomed to fail the temperament test because they are stressed out in the shelter. There is just something seriously wrong with this picture.

I'm reading "Redemption" by Nathan Winograd who addresses this very issue. While he is very idealistic, he puts forth solutions that shelters could adopt to helps save instead of kill so many.

So, I will try to help one at a time. I foster for Grateful Dogs Rescue. They came into being to help the animals put on the euthanasia list at San Francisco's shelter. Roman and Tikka were saved by them and in return, I want to try to make a difference for a few more unwanted dogs.

If you are looking for a new dog or cat, I do hope you will consider a dog or cat from your local shelter. I realize many people want a puppy or kitten or purebred, but all of those can be found with persistence. Also consider and adult animal. You won't have to deal with the destruction of a youngster and the temperament & size is known. You'll save a life and get a new best friend at the same time!