I can't get this dog out of my mind. He/she was being held by a shelter in Brooklyn and probably isn't alive anymore. Look at what people did to that poor soul.

Every time I hear someone say they got a dog from a pet store (aka puppy mill), or an ad in the paper (aka back yard breeder) or even a breeder they "researched" (aka backyard breeder with a website) I feel angry. Not so much at the person who just wanted a cute little "purebred" puppy but angry because there are tens of thousands of dogs (and many more cats) being put to sleep across North America every year. Not because they have "issues", not because they've done anything wrong, but because they are valued as products, or things, and not family members. Because there are no restrictions on breeding pets. Spaying and neutering dogs/cats is not required. And because while people are not allowed to carry weapons (in Canada, at least) they are allowed to mistreat their dogs until the dog is just as dangerous as a loaded weapon.

There are many people out there working for the animals who are discarded like garbage. But what about everyone else who stick their heads in the sand? Don't think that animal shelters euthanize dogs anymore? A no-kill shelter means dogs aren't arbitrarily put to death--but when those shelters get too full, animals are "put to sleep". At least most Canadian shelters euthanize by way of injection...American shelters are so full of unwanted dogs and cats that they are gassed. 20-30 dogs at a time, every few days, or every few weeks, depending on the shelter.

What does this mean? We need laws that stand for something. We need people to stop buying dogs out of the paper and start adopting from shelters or rescue groups. We need to stop making excuses. I get so angry...this isn't a soapbox I'm on, it's a feeling so deep inside that I have to express it sometimes.