Ending Homeless Pet Euthanasia

We asked three of our Advisory Board members: We recently did an AP poll finding that most Americans favor ending euthanasia of adoptable pets. Do you agree?

If so, what is one step that can be taken to help realize that lofty goal?

Mike Arms, President Helen Woodward Animal Center: I am firmly in agreement that no adoptable pet should be euthanized. I teach all over the world that this can be a reality if organizations run themselves as a business and learn how to market these beautiful pets.

Nancy Taylor, President and CEO, Bideawee: One of greatest challenges we face in preventing euthanasia is controlling the pet population. If we can control the number of unwanted pets through spaying and neutering then we can dramatically reduce the incidence of euthanasia. This very simple step has the ability to have a profound impact on the number of lives that are spared each year. The procedure is quick, inexpensive and safe and is the most effective way to control the unwanted pet population.

Marcie Campion, Ph.D., Scientific Relations Manager, Iams Company: We agree that every adoptable pet deserves a forever home with a great family. At P&G Pet Care, we’re committed to doing our part to meet this goal. As a matter of fact, we just concluded our 13th annual Iams Home 4 The Holidays campaign. Thanks to our partnership with 4,000 animal organizations in multiple countries, we helped more than 1.2 million pets find loving homes this year. Since the program began, more than 7 million pets have been matched with loving families and more than 10 million bowls of food have been donated to animal organizations in need. If your readers are interested in adopting a pet, they can visit www.iams.com to find out more about how to get involved. A huge thanks to every person and animal organization that participated this year in helping us get closer to realizing this lofty goal. You are truly “Adoption Angels!”