Dogs Across America Are Paying the Price for Pandemic, Bidenomics as Key Shelter Stat Skyrockets
According to a new report, it’s not just mankind that is languishing in President Joe Biden’s America — man’s best friend is as well.
Shelter Animals Count, a national database for animal shelters, painted a grim picture of the state of pet ownership in the U.S. in its report for the second quarter of 2023.
One key metric stood out: “Non-live outcomes” — where the animal is lost, dies in a shelter or is euthanized in a shelter — were up 25 percent from the same time period two years ago.
That percentage was even more pronounced for canines, as dogs specifically saw a whopping 73.8 percent increase in non-live outcomes compared with 2021.
Perhaps even more alarmingly, the euthanasia rate was set to hit a three-year high.
It’s worth noting that in-shelter euthanasia is typically the last resort of an overwhelmed facility. Shelters have grown crowded as financially struggling families surrendered pets they no longer could afford to keep, according to Vox. In addition, it said, shelters have seen more strays as a result of spaying and neutering largely becoming “optional” procedures during the height of the pandemic, when there were shortages of medical supplies.
🚨OUT OF SPACE: BARCS is in a state of emergency… again. We have taken in 1,234 animals so far this month and are out of dog space. Dogs in our shelter are at risk today if we don’t get adopters in our doors. We are waiving fees now through Sunday (7/2) to save their lives. pic.twitter.com/YrsXwpV4uD
— BARCS Animal Shelter 🐾 (@BARCS_SHELTER) June 28, 2023
(Conversely, the pandemic also contributed to this trend because locked-up Americans increasingly resorted to animal companionship during those times — a difficult prospect to keep up as Americans return to on-site working environments.)
Compare the euthanasia-in-shelter rates for dogs and cats over the last three years:
• 2021: 6.8 percent
• 2022: 7.2 percent
• 2023: 8.5 percent
Again, it’s man’s best friend that is facing the brunt of this.
According to SAC data obtained by Axios, from January to July of this year, 51,000 dogs were euthanized.
That staggering figure represents a 37 percent increase over the same time period a year ago, it said.
While the SAC report focused on the raw numbers, Axios delved a little into the “why” of this sudden spike in animal euthanasia, and the outlet stopped just short of placing the blame on “Bidenomics.”
Axios pointed to “the end of pandemic eviction moratoriums” and “increasing rents” as two key factors in why more animals were being left to the wayside.
It should be noted that having an animal is expensive.
Everyday items such as water, treats and dog food are not immune to the ravages of inflation, and neither are the general medical costs that come with owning a canine.
Throw in the suffocating costs of even keeping a roof over your head in the current economic state of this country, and it’s not surprising that more people are dropping off their dogs at shelters.
If you are blessed enough to be able to help these animals, there are a number of places (i.e., the ASPCA and the Humane Society) where you can do so.
If you don’t have the means to support a pet, please don’t get one.
The numbers are already not in the animals’ favor.
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