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Imagine a dog, by nature a pack animal and historically a companion animal, spending years confined to a space that is four feet by six feet. Surrounded almost 24/7 by chain link, rarely feeling anything but concrete under his feet and enduring the sorrowful, neurotic barking of dozens like him in rows of cages just like his. The boredom is broken only at mealtime when a steel dish is slid into the cage quickly, or when someone comes in to clean out the feces and urine. If he's lucky, he'll be taken out of the cage during cleaning. If he is taken out, he will be lucky if he is placed back into his cage after it's dry, but most likely he will return to a wet cage. Luckier still is the dog who gets a walk each day, or even once or twice a week. The luckiest dog in this hypothetical caged pack is adopted by a loving family and, with patience and time, will hopefully adapt to life outside a cage and lead a fulfilling life.

Such is the life of a dog in many no-kill shelters. But the question is whether no-kill shelters help in the fight against overpopulation. I believe they do not. No-kill shelters are simply warehouses for unwanted pets. They have no impact whatsoever on the issue of overpopulation.

Those who run such shelters usually start out with good intentions. Often they become overwhelmed by the task of caring for so many animals with so few resources that the animals wind up neglected and cage-crazed, living in filth. The shelters make appeals for funding using the sad stories of their charges but then have no money or time leftover to promote or perform spaying and neutering of pets. Often there is only enough funding for subsistence level care.

Even PETA is not in favor of no-kill shelters. Advocating quality of life for all creatures, an article on the PETA website describes the plight of animals in no-kill facilities: "They become withdrawn, severely depressed, or aggressive, which further decreases their chances for adoption. Cageless facilities avoid the cruelty of constant confinement but unintentionally encourage fighting and the spread of disease among animals." The article also cites the experience of a PETA staffer who once managed a no-kill shelter. She witnessed a pit bull, who had been confined there for 12 years. This dog "had gone mad from confinement and would spend the day slamming his body against the sides of his cage, becoming so enraged that the workers were afraid to handle him."

Lifetime confinement may be the fate

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