Give 'em shelter

Thousands of dogs are put down each year, but you can help

There's something special about 9-year-old Delaney Smith. After attending a "critter care" camp at the Central Brevard Humane Society this summer, the fourth-grader reminded her family and friends how big her heart is when she fell in love with Smokie, a Bluetick Coonhound-Catahoula mix.

Smokie wasn't like most of the other dogs at the shelter. He lived there for five years, watching all the young pups go home with their new families, as he only grew older, decreasing his chances of being adopted.

Then came Delaney.

"He picked me," she said. "He came over and laid by me, and he was attached right away."

Delaney said she couldn't be happier with her 6-year-old shelter dog.

"He sleeps next to my bed every night and does everything I tell him to," she said.

Delaney's mom, Dawn, said she was apprehensive about bringing a dog into the house at first, but knew Smokie was the right pooch for her daughter.

"From day one (at the summer camp), he attached to Delaney as she attached to him," Dawn said. "He's wasn't the prettiest dog at the shelter, and he's an older dog, but he's Delaney's dog. He follows her around everywhere."

Delaney's dad, Phil, said it didn't take long for Delaney to persuade him and Dawn to adopt Smokie.

"We're suckers," Phil joked. "She kept asking and asking, so one day we went and picked him up."

When Smokie arrived at his new Melbourne home, he didn't seem to have any problem adjusting, Dawn said. There was no "puppiness," she explained, as he already was housebroken, wasn't hyper and didn't chew anything. He even knew a couple of tricks.

Those are just a few of the perks that can come with adopting a shelter dog.

Large variety

Bob Brown, community outreach officer for Brevard County Animal Services, said another advantage is there are a variety of dogs from which to choose at shelters, as there are more coming in every day.

"I always say, 'If you can't decide between a Labrador, Dalmatian or a golden retriever, come to the shelter and get a mix of all three," he said.

Those looking for purebred dogs can find them in shelters, too. But no matter what kind of dog, Brown said, they always seem to appreciate what you did for them.

"I don't think you can get a bad pet from a shelter," Brown said. "I think they know that you rode to their rescue."

What's wrong with buying "that doggie in the window" from a pet shop? Shelters want potential pet owners to know, however, that many dogs sold in pet stores come from commercial breeders, or "puppy mills," which breed dogs on farms and sell them to pet stores for profit.

"The majority of pet shops get their dogs from puppy mills," said Adam Gracia, spokesman for the Central Brevard Humane Society. "The difference between puppy mills and breeders is that breeders do it to maintain purebred bloodlines. Puppy mills do it to make money."

Lifesavers

The list of reasons to adopt a shelter dog goes on, but the biggest reason, many would agree, is to save a dog's life.

Although the Central Brevard Humane Society is a "no-kill-for-space" animal shelter, there is room for only 50 to 60 dogs at any given time.

"We can't take in any animals when we are at maximum capacity," Gracia said. "But we will make some exceptions. And we will never abandon an animal."

So, when no-kill shelters absolutely have no room, dogs may end up at shelters that do euthanize unwanted animals. Others are lucky enough to find safe havens with foster homes or rescue groups.

Desiree Webber ran her rescue group, A New Leash on Life, out of Brevard for more than 10 years. Webber said she took in up to 75 dogs of all breeds from shelters around the state, and adopted them out to qualified candidates through petfinder.com

"We do our best to make sure (dogs) have a permanent home," said Webber, who now runs her rescue group in another state. "And if, for whatever reason, the adopter can't take care of them anymore, we have a commitment to always take them back in."

Webber suggests to someone looking for a particular type of dog, to adopt from breed-specific rescue groups, as they are able to better determine whether that breed fits in with a potential adopter's lifestyle.

While rescue groups serve the community by giving many shelter animals loving homes, they can't take in all the critters. There are two shelters, one in Titusville and one in Melbourne, which never refuse to take in an animal. The drawback is that they are required by law to euthanize animals for space, regardless of the animal's health condition or temperament.

"It's a very traumatic thing," Brown said. "It's not something that we take lightly. Our professionals treat them as if they were their own pets."

Last year in Brevard, 357 dogs were euthanized because of need for space. A total of 8,098 dogs were euthanized last year. Some other reasons for euthanasia included behavior problems, sickness/injury and "unadoptable," which could mean a number of things, Brown said, including old age.

While putting a dog down is something no one wants to think about, especially when the dog is perfectly healthy, Brown said they feel no pain, and the chemicals injected are supposed to give them a "happy feeling" before they pass on.

"There are always at least two people with the animal, and someone is always holding him and comforting him before he goes to the other side," Brown said.

The returns

To reduce the number of euthanized animals, there are a number of actions animal-lovers can take. One is to spay and neuter cats and dogs. Another is to be absolutely sure before adopting that the animal has a permanent home and won't be returned to the shelter.

Brown said more than 60 percent of the dogs at both shelters arrive as "drop-offs" by the public -- not from Animal Enforcement officers -- and the top reason people return their dogs to the shelter is because they interfere with moving situations.

"We realize that there are some legitimate reasons for bringing a pet back," Brown said. "But when you bring an animal into your home, you should treat them like a member of your family. You wouldn't get rid of a family member if you were moving."

Parents can contribute to reducing pet homelessness by thinking ahead before adopting a dog for their children. Delaney's parents talked with her about the responsibility that comes with a new dog, puppy or not. Her dad takes Smokie on a walk every night, and both parents are more than willing to watch him if Delaney wants to sleep over at a friend's house. But they say their daughter does most of the work.

Delaney feeds Smokie, plays with him every day and lets him outside all on her own.

One thing she doesn't like?

"Picking up poop," she said.

She agreed, though, the task is well worth it.

"It's exciting," she said about her overall experience with Smokie. "He's the best dog."

Reference: www.floridatoday.com

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