by Anthony Megna

Created on: January 26, 2009   Last Updated: April 06, 2010

The most positive results in this world come from understanding. Once you understand something, you are better informed to make the right decisions. Education is nothing but communication. Retaining that communication is the goal of all educators. It is not a secret that we have a huge dog and cat overpopulation problem. Why? Because spaying is not at the high numbers it should be. It's really that simple.

Now, there are people who breed animals for a living. They have every right in the world to pursue their occupation because most of them know what they are doing. But it is tough to justify pet owners not taking the responsibility to neuter their pets in this day and age. All it takes is a trip to an animal shelter to see the pain and suffering a lot of these animals go through to see that there is an overpopulation problem. Shelters have to put down a lot of animals per week because they just can't handle the crisis. It costs money to feed and house these creatures, and there is only so much cash to go around these days.

My wife and I got our dog from a shelter. He had two days to live and was skinny as a rail. Now he is fully healthy and is a trained therapy dog. He visits nursing homes, hospice, hospitals and even libraries to spread joy to people. He is a treasure, and this is possible because we took the time to train him. I believe he is thankful to be alive and to have a home, and he is very empathetic to other beings who are suffering.

There needs to be a double-pronged approach to the animal overpopulation problem. First, spaying your pets is key. We need to spread the word as much as possible. The simple truth is that there are enough cats and dogs out there for anyone who wants a pet without generating more. Second, your local animal shelter needs help in trimming the amount of animals they have. If you want a pet for your home, please visit your shelter. The odds are you will find what you are looking for. The animals can't thank you enough as all they need is a loving home. Believe me, you won't be disappointed.

Education needs to be an ongoing process so that these animals can find a home. Also, spaying and neutering is a must. There is just no reason, unless you are a breeder, to not spay your pet today. It is a sad, sad, thing to witness an animal that no one wants, or is wandering the streets starving to death.

Yes, we need to continue our efforts to educate the public about the overpopulation problem so we can eradicate the ignorance.

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