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Post1

I was not put off by the title of this chapter.  Living in an area that does not have an overpopulation issue, I was willing to read this chapter with an open mind.  I wanted to know if he was honestly saying we have a dog shortage or of if he was going to talk about the imbalance of shelter dogs in the country. 

Although I hear and respect the authors perspective on dog shortages, I find it difficult to wrap my mind around loosening spay/neuter and investing in commercial breeding. My shelter business plan is primarily based around transport.  I live in an area that has a dog shortage.  Transporting dogs in from other states, where they struggle with high capacity, is a way to help lower their numbers while also having adoptable pets available in an area where demand is high.  I believe that transport is one way to solve the imbalance of pets around the country and that it would be beneficial to have data based on such.  I do not believe that we are at a place where we should be dialing back spay/neuter. I feel it is dangerous, especially with the great impact it has had on lowering euthanasia rates and think that the Best Friends national data collected will continue to show that.  Perhaps I am a bit naïve, but I believe we will always have puppies being born and that, at this time, transport is the best option versus lowering spay/neuter surgeries. As much and I would love it, I do not believe that breeders, both backyard and commercial will ever be willing to agree to specific standards or data sharing.  I feel that, although coming from a good place, author Mark Cushing’s suggestions for political compromise and legislation will never come to fruition. 

Post 2

Definitely not put off by the title of the chapter. I have long said, we are one of very few industries attempting to put ourselves out of business every day. And in the world of dogs, we are succeeding at extraordinary rates in some portions of the country. For example, my organization on this date (1/26) in 2018 had 545 animals in our care. This morning I woke up to an inventory report stating we had 62 animals on site. This is a combination of progressive animal sheltering, community programs, spay/neuter efforts, expedited medical services for shelter pets and lower length of stay for pets in the shelter. The author discusses all of these factors in the chapter as reasons there is a "dog shortage" in our country. We see very often, rescue organizations and adopters fighting over the few puppies in our care. Dogs that aren't pit bull type dogs or chihuahuas find adoption commitments even before they legally belong to the shelter and volunteers have actually begun complaining there aren't enough dogs to walk during their shifts (as if they are advocating for more homeless animals in our community?).

Cushing refers to data and the lack thereof more than once within the text. Our country Fiscal Deartment requires us to budget for adoption revenue, operating supplies, medical procedures and dozens of other line items almost 2 years in advance. The irony is, not only are we completely guessing how many animals our organization will care for during that fiscal year, we have no clue how many animals are in our own county at any given time. Much like the author, we can make a very educated guess but with 9.5%-10.0% growth within our county, success of spay/neuter programs and community education to pet owners, who is to say if the dog shortage problem in our community will not get worse (much worse) over the next several years, or even before my approved budget for 2022 even gets implemented.

The lasting message from this entire conversation with me is always our poor cat friends. We constantly here the phrase, "oh, I'm just not a cat person" or "oh, I think I am allergic." This is not yet a pet nation, but a dog nation with a lot of funny cats on Instagram. There is no cat shortage and TNVR Spay/Neuter efforts struggle to find the funding they need to keep up with public demand. I have often said, if people in our community cared half as much about cats as they do about dogs, our organization would be at a 98% save rate tomorrow. All we can do is continue to educate the public and push for community support for all homeless pets, even those supported by a national shortage.