I was a guest on a podcast about sustainability a few months ago and I mentioned that rescue dogs are the all about sustainability. My reasoning is that we don’t need to make a new dog if there’s already one that we can adopt.
It’s not the purebred dogs are a problem. They aren’t for many reasons. But the majority of people who want a puppy or a dog don’t need a certain breed. They need a dog who is spayed or neutered, up-t0-date on their vaccinations, trainable, and a able to give love. That’s it. That’s what they need.
The number of dogs who are euthanized continues to go up for many reasons. I asked the podcaster why we needed to breed dogs when we can recycle one instead? She was silent for a minute and then she agreed. Responsible breeders and those who want purebred dogs are not the problem. The problem happens when people in areas where people don’t spay or neuter, don’t microchip, and don’t place a high value on dogs.
If an area has too many strays for the number of people willing to adopt then two things will happen. The first is that dogs will die because there is not enough space, not enough money, not enough volunteers, not enough resources to keep them alive.
The second option is to relocate those dogs to areas where there’s a shortage of adoptable dogs. That’s what 2nd Chance Rescue and Second Chance North do. The dogs are rescued on the day they are scheduled to be put down through no fault of their own. They are made ready for the trip to Wisconsin where they are fostered until they are adopted by loving, responsible families. This means that family throughout Northeast Wisconsin don’t need to go to a breeder or a puppy mill to find a dog. Instead, they have a choice of dogs who could be perfect for them.
Yep. Rescue dogs are the all about sustainability.
