An Exponential Problem
If you’ve kept up with news you’ve probably heard that local shelters are overrun with animals. This is happening for a variety of reasons, but one of the key reasons is dog breeding.
To become a breeder in the Los Angeles area only requires a permit fee of a couple hundred dollars, an “intact permit” to keep the dog unaltered (a.k.a. not getting the dog spayed/neutered), and microchipping the breeding dogs, which motivates bad breeders to get involved when they can sell a single puppy for $1000 or more.
This is an ongoing, bureaucratic issue we hope to tackle as we grow as an organization. But until more action is taken to curb dog breeding, lax spay and neuter laws contribute to the overall problem. A pair of unfixed dogs can lead to nearly 70,000 offspring in just a few years. We’ve seen firsthand the effects of breeders dumping their unwanted dogs, leaving them to fend for themselves in the desert without food or water, and left to breed uncontrollably, causing dog populations to explode exponentially.
While not every breeder participates in these bad practices, enough have contributed to the problem that the pet population is spiraling out of control. Buying a dog from a breeder, even in the best circumstances, is only adding to the problem.
Adoption Saves Two Lives
When a dog is brought into a rescue shelter from the streets, they are given a second chance at life. Removed from dangerous, traumatic situations and allowed to let their personalities grow, these dogs regularly find loving homes that give them a chance to rehabilitate and thrive.
As they find these homes, it’s easy to think it’s simply their life that has changed. But as the dogs go to live with their new families, rescues are given more space to bring another dog into their care, effectively saving two lives with one adoption.
Every rescue or shelter has a physical capacity as well as what is commonly referred to as a “capacity for care” which includes availability of staff and volunteers to ensure a dog stays happy and healthy while in the rescue. When a dog is adopted, it frees up valuable resources within a rescue allowing their capacity for care to increase, benefitting many more dogs than just the one that went home.
Paying It Forward
Perhaps one of the more obvious benefits to adopting a rescue dog is it allows organizations to continue their work and help more dogs find their homes.
While it would be ideal if every dog brought into a rescue could find their way to a home for free, the reality of rescuing dogs is more complicated and (unfortunately) far more expensive. The spread of disease, upkeep of a facility with 20+ dogs inside, feeding them, and providing our generous fosters with necessary supplies all adds up quickly.
Adoption fees are often the backbone of a successful rescue operation. Donations, both monetary and in-kind, are able to supplement some costs but the bulk of expenses must be addressed through adoption fees. This means an adoption fee for a puppy is able to help care for a dog still at the facility through paying staff, buying food, and keeping a facility open.
Your adoption allows us to keep doing what we’re doing.
