Target: Joseph R. Biden, President of the United States
Goal: Save dogs and cats from living on the streets or being euthanized in shelters with sterilization programs.
Pet overpopulation has long been a significant problem facing the U.S., where over 70 million homeless cats and dogs struggle to survive. These animals endure tragic lives, subjected to extreme weather conditions, life-threatening parasites and diseases, and injury from fights with other animals or car collisions, all without access to veterinary care. Stray animals are forced to compete for every scrap of food they eat, the water they drink, and the spaces they live in. Many of these animals will die early deaths, as stray dogs and cats have much shorter lifespans than indoor pets do. Others will end up in shelters, where 3-4 million–or 10,000 each day of the year–will be senselessly euthanized without even being given an adequate chance at finding a home.
Trap-Neuter-Release (TNR) has been offered as a method to help control stray–specifically, cat– populations. According to this method, animals are humanely trapped and brought into trusted veterinary clinics. Here, they undergo a process known as “spaying” or “neutering,” depending on their sex, to remove their reproductive organs. This sterilization process, which makes animals unable to produce future offspring, is safe and harmless. Animals are usually also vaccinated for rabies and other fatal diseases during these visits. Following the procedure, cats are returned outdoors. TNR is a great alternative to lethal methods of animal control, and the assumption is that over time, the number of feral cats will gradually decline. In some cases, if the captured animals are young enough, it is possible to socialize them and adopt them out into loving homes.
Nearly 70,000 dogs and cats are born every day in the U.S.. Through implementing these TNR programs, we can help reduce the number of animals forced to live out on the streets, or euthanized in shelters across the U.S. Sign this petition to demand government funding of TNR programs in cities throughout the United States.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear President Biden,
Pet overpopulation is a serious problem throughout the United States, and nearly 70,000 dogs and cats are born every day. Of these billions of companion animals, about 70,000 are forced to live out their lives on streets, scavenging to make ends meet. Life is not at all easy for stray dogs and cats. These animals have much shorter life expectancies as they, unlike indoor pets, must compete for every resource they have. Feral pets also have to cope with extreme weather conditions, moving vehicles, ferocious predators, and life-threatening diseases. Many of these dogs and cats will succumb to the horrors of life on the outside, while others, still, will end up in shelters where they are euthanized by the thousands.
Trap, Neuter, Release (TNR) programs have been gaining popularity in recent years. The goal of these programs is to help manage feral animal populations and to prevent new generations of animals from meeting the same, grim fates of their ancestors. As per TNR procedure, feral cats and dogs are humanely trapped and brought into shelters or veterinary clinics where their reproductive organs are removed. Now sterile, these animals are released back into the wild, and remain unable to contribute any further to local stray populations. The assumption is that these programs, if implemented in great enough quantities, will gradually reduce the number of stray animals that end up on roadsides and euthanized in shelters.
We are asking you, President Biden, to please fund these programs throughout the U.S. Cats and dogs deserve to spend their lives in loving homes, not living alone and afraid in our shadows.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Brocken Inaglory
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