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Animals should appeal to higher humanity
This weekend, I fell in love.
It was a normal Saturday afternoon, cold and windy. I walked into the store and there he was -- big chocolate brown eyes, luxurious long gold hair and a body just wriggling with pent-up energy. His name was Felix, and he has since become my love. At only 11 months old, Felix had become an orphan and a ward of the state of Minnesota. His eyes were sad and confused.
One day, a happy Felix had been playing outside, and the next, he was put into a car. The car pulled over on a deserted stretch of road and dumped Felix onto the pavement. Landing awkwardly, he hurt his leg and stood crying for hours, waiting for his family to come back. This never happened, and eventually the abandoned Felix limped away to find food and water. Young and helpless, he wandered for days, crying in pain.
Soon after, a van with markings that Felix didn't understand stopped next to him. A man in a uniform climbed out and took Felix into his van. Inside, other abandoned and run-away animals sat in cages crying or just staring fixedly into space, silent.
While this story of how Felix ended up at the Animal Humane Society isn't exactly true, stories like this occur every day. There are more stray animals in the United States than people who wish to care for them. Some are born to life on the streets, while others are once-pampered pets no longer wanted for one reason or another.
The Animal Humane Society of Minneapolis takes in an average of 20,000 animals a year. All animals, including strays, wildlife and victims of cruelty are welcomed by the humane society. Out of the 20,000 that enter its doors, about half are adopted. According to the humane society's Web site, all incoming animals are evaluated for possible placement in the adoption center. This evaluation is done within the first 24 hours of surrender and is based on a variety of factors, foremost of which are the animal's health, temperament and age.
Persons surrendering animals forfeit all rights, title and interest in the animal to the Animal Humane Society. The society cannot guarantee a home for every animal, nor can the society guarantee to keep any animal at the shelter for any specific period of time unless the animal has been placed in the Guaranteed Attempt to Place Program.
I met Felix during one of the weekends that the Animal Humane Society lends out dogs to five of the Minneapolis Petsmart locations in hopes of adopting them out. Every weekday, six local Petsmarts adopt out cats. Cats sent to Petsmart have a 100 percent chance of being adopted simply because they are never returned to the shelter. The felines are kept there until the right match is made.
In a society where people sometimes pamper their pets even more than their children, it's ridiculous that there are hundreds of animals being abandoned every day. From a family bringing in a pet that just doesn't fit into their lifestyle anymore to one that has always lived on the streets, the numbers are astronomical -- and this is just the Animal Humane Society of Minneapolis. There is also the Animal Control of Minneapolis which has a shelter that takes in animals daily. In a city with a population topping 365,000 people, animals that aren't wanted are simply lost in the confusion that is everyday life.
Animals, like people, are in need, not just in the United States but all over the world. If Minneapolis has over 20,000 unwanted animals deposited at the Animal Humane Society every year, imagine what that number would be if we were to add all of the homeless pets in Minnesota and the whole country.
So often, we see advertisements on television, billboards, magazines and even in restaurants to help endangered species on the other end of the world. Personally, I have only seen one container at a market to help domestic animals in need. Those who fight so valiantly to save the wild turkey and antelope do not seem to see the forest for the trees, to use an old clich@Writer Tagline =
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