In March, a 7-year-old dog named Zelda endured what must have been an extremely lonely, frightening and uncomfortable five days. A man allegedly tied her to the inside of a truck bed and left her in a Texas airport parking garage. When authorities connected him to the dog, he claimed that Zelda belonged to his mother, who could no longer care for her, and that he had been trying to find the dog a new home. He said that he had called “every shelter and no-kill pet center within 200 miles” but that none would accept her.
There is never any excuse for abandoning an animal. But scenarios like this one are becoming increasingly common as more animal shelters are operating like exclusive clubs or boutiques instead of refuges.
Some shelters have drastically reduced their hours, changed their policies to exclude cats, or require people to make appointments, wait for months, or pay a fee—often very high—to surrender an animal. Some even encourage people to leave homeless animals on the streets, which is illegal in many areas.
When shelters make it difficult for people to do the right thing, animals suffer. Many rejected cats and dogs are simply abandoned, leaving them to starve or die of disease or injuries. Others remain in the hands of people who don’t want them and may mistreat, neglect or kill them.
Why are so many shelters refusing to shelter?
It’s undoubtedly connected to growing pressure from a small but extremely vocal group of people who are opposed to euthanasia under virtually any circumstances. “Life at any cost” crusaders harass and vilify shelter workers who have the extremely difficult (but necessary and compassionate) job of euthanizing some animals in order to keep their doors open to all comers.
It may be easier to turn animals away than to endure persecution from armchair activists. But can shelters really be called “shelters” if they close their doors to the animals who need them the most?
If a shelter has refused to accept an animal from you, required you to pay a surrender fee, put you on a waiting list, or instructed you to abandon an animal, document your experience. Note the time and date of the incident, the person you spoke with, what you were told and other pertinent details, and share them with elected officials and the media.
Changing entrenched policies can take time, persistence and patience. But our involvement can determine whether animals in our communities will ultimately be sheltered or shunned.
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Teresa Chagrin is manager of animal care and control issues in the Cruelty Investigations Department at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.