Save Millions of Dogs and Cats from Kill-Shelter Deaths by Ending Irresponsible Breeding

Target: Tom Vilsack, Secretary of The United States Department of Agriculture

Goal: Reduce the number of breeders in an effort to help eliminate dog and cat overpopulation in the U.S..

Most people are familiar with the horrors of puppy mills and know to avoid backyard breeders and pet stores. However, while certified breeders aren’t necessarily abusive to their own dogs and cats, breeding is a problematic practice more generally.

In the United States–as well as throughout the rest of the world–we suffer from a tremendous pet overpopulation epidemic. In the U.S. alone, nearly 27 million dogs and cats are born each year. Many of these animals end up in shelters, where they are killed by the hundreds of thousands—a decline from an estimated 1.124 million killed in 2018. Those that do not end up in shelters or homes take to roaming in the streets, where they are subject to dangers like predation and disease and are forced to compete for food, territory, and safe places to sleep. Since stray dogs and cats are non-native species, they also pose a threat to other endemic wildlife and plants.

In spite of all this, breeders are continually putting more animals into an already animal saturated world. Every dog or cat purchased from a breeder reduces the chances of one of the millions of homeless shelter animals from finding a forever home. Plus, many breeders don’t spay their dogs and cats so that the animals themselves–if not sold off–can have litters of their own. This, again, contributes to the overpopulation problem we are currently facing.

Since the sole purpose of breeding animals is to create perfect “purebred” samples, dogs and cats at breeders are often extremely inbred. This can cause a whole onset of health complications and defects down the road, including hip dysplasia, epilepsy, and heart issues. Dogs bred to have pushed in faces to appeal to buyers–like Pugs, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, and French Bulldogs–have serious breathing problems, making exercise hard or even impossible for these dogs. For this reason, it is actually illegal to breed such dogs in some countries, such as Norway.

Dogs and cats should not have to suffer because of our personal preferences. Sign this petition to discourage the practice of breeding and to push for more regulations against the allowed quantity of breeders, and the types of animals that can be bred.

PETITION LETTER:

Dear Secretary Vilsack,

Pet overpopulation is a serious problem in the United States, with over 27 million dogs and cats being born annually. Hundreds of thousands of dogs and cats are euthanized in overcrowded shelters each year simply because there isn’t enough space to house them all. Others, still, roam the streets, forced to compete for simple resources like food and shelter. The introduction of non-native dogs and cats to outdoor environments also contributes to the spread of diseases and extinction of other wildlife and plants.

Certified breeders fuel this overpopulation, as their sole goal is to breed animals into existence in order to make a small profit. Often, breeders do not spay or neuter their cats and dogs so that, if not sold, they can use these animals to breed more. In addition, many “purebred” animals also succumb to major health complications—such as painful hip dysplasia and heart conditions. Some dogs, like Pugs and King Charles Cavaliers, have been specifically bred to have pushed in faces, which directly causes severe breathing problems and premature death.

We are asking you, Mr. Vilsack, to please place restrictions on the number of breeders allowed to operate in the U.S. and the types of dogs and cats these breeders can breed. Encourage our people to adopt, not shop.

Sincerely,

[Your Name Here]

Photo Credit: Nom d’util