Second Chance Pet Adoption - Filling In The Gaps

I've only met a few people in my life who really didn't like animals. They don't care about animal issues. They've never had a pet and would be happier if they never had to deal with another barking dog or scratching cat. I don't understand them but then there is the opposite extreme, the people who treat their pets better than their children or elderly family members. Neither fringe is understandable, at least to me. Most of us fall somewhere in the middle of this equation.

If you are like me, then you ache when you see a homeless animal wandering the city. You put out bowls of food for the strays in your neighborhood. You take care of the helpless ones until a permanent home can be found. You care as much as you can without totally disrupting the lives of the other people who live in your house. That's me..do you recognize a little of yourself?

If you'd like to participate in organized efforts to help stray and homeless pets and network with others who feel this calling, just type "second chance pets" into your search engine. You'll find several results for a Second Chance pet-rescue group near you. Here are just a few I found - Second Chance Pet Adoptions, Second Chance Elk Grove, IL, Second Chance California, and 2nd Chance 4 Pets.

These organizations, with the help of volunteers, work with abandoned dogs and cats, providing foster homes for them, lobbying vets to give reduced rates on care and medications, and ultimately trying to find permanent homes.

Anything you can do to help this cause is appreciated. Even if you can't be a foster family for an animal you can donate money to a Second Chance organization or no-kill pet shelter in your area. You can offer your skills in possibly web design, advertising, or public relations. Whatever your special skill, there is usually a way to adapt it to help a worthy cause. You can volunteer to drive rescued animals to veterinary appointments or to meetings with prospective owners.

I think I'd like to volunteer at a shelter to take the little guys for walks or to sit and pet them for a while, just to reintroduce them to a loving hand before they move into a stable home.

Here are some statistics from Animal Network World about the plight of abandoned pets in the United States:

-More than 12 million dogs and cats are euthanized in shelters each year.

- Millions more are abandoned in rural and urban areas.

- As many as 25% of dogs entering shelters each year are purebreds.

- Approximately 61% of all dogs entering shelters are killed.

- Approximately 75% of all cats entering shelters are killed.

- It costs approximately $100 to capture, house, feed, and eventually kill each stray animal -- a cost which you, the taxpayer, eventually pay.

In addition to volunteering your time to rescue organization, please have your pets spayed and neutered, encourage your friends who own pets to do the same. That one action, along with your compassion and empathy, will help to solve this crisis.