Socialize the Animal Shelters
America’s animal shelter system is a disaster. We need a well-funded, fully public system that no longer treats animals as expendable commodities — and empowers the workers who staff public shelters.
The best way to protect animals is to invest in public facilities — and the workers who operate them. Photo: Jazmin Smith
Every day in the United States, hundreds of dogs and cats are gassed to death in public animal shelters. While many states have moved toward euthanasia by injection, chambers persist in localities with the fewest resources and the most animals.
The dysfunctional state of the public animal shelter system has inspired entrepreneurial animal lovers across the country to start their own ventures to rescue animals from killer pounds. However, much like charter schools interacting with the public education system, private rescues fail to address the root issues of the pet overpopulation crisis, instead diverting funding from municipal shelters, casting aside less “desirable” animals, and ultimately exacerbating the problems plaguing the public system.
The best way to close the gas chambers is to invest in public facilities — and the workers who operate them.
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