by Chrystina Trulove-Reyes

Created on: January 29, 2009   Last Updated: March 12, 2010

Having mandatory laws on spaying animals is a good idea. The laws are the first step in solving a lot of the animal overpopulation problems. However, there will also be complications that can arise from the laws. One problem is going to be with the people who love their pets deeply but cannot afford to spay them or pay any tickets.

The overpopulation of animals not just a problem for humans, but for the animals, too. Shelters are becoming similar to our jail system with a marked difference. Animals do not get parole after their sentence is served. Animals were not meant to be in cages. It is not fair to the animals to have to sit in a confined space when they should be able to run and play. The animals that are not adopted are put to sleep. They have no chance at life and no chance to experience a loving family.

People are silly creatures. People choose to drop their pets off in the wild rather than take the pets to the shelter. Many people think that the animals will have a better chance at life. This is not true. Most pets can no longer take care of themselves. They require human intervention.

People think that because cats hunt mice that they should be able to make it in the wild. This is a very big misunderstanding. The mice and other rodents of towns do not have to worry about predators as much as those of the wild. In the wild, squirrels, mice, and rats are much more skittish and make for harder prey. Cats are just as likely to starve in the wild as a dog.

There is a possibility that those domesticated animals manage to survive. Eventually they will breed. The next generation will breed. And so on. Then you have an overpopulation problem in the wild. Then history would repeat itself and cause tons of problems on the ecology of nature.

Then there are the families who decide to keep their pets. They do not spay or neuter them and soon there is a population crisis in the home. The families may realize that giving pets away free can cause other problems, usually for the pet. They may decide to keep the young and then suddenly have many more mouths to feed. In this case, the family cannot afford the medical care, feeding, watering, and time needed to care for the animals.

Unfortunately, many people have lost their jobs. On top of caring for the pets, they cannot afford a dime to put on getting vouchers to spay them. Because of this, there is a problem with legally enforcing the care of animals.

There have to be better ways to obtain vouchers to protect the animals that people love. Many people have taken advantage of systems that were placed to aid those who could not afford the vouchers. Unfortunately, that had an impact on the animal population. Now more than ever, we need those systems back. The people with no money are the ones who pay for this.

What is worse is that the idea of legally enforcing spaying or neutering animals may be too little too late. Already there is an animal overpopulation problem. Too few people are aware of this crisis and even fewer people care about it.

However, if several states and countries took it upon themselves to actually enforce spaying and neutering of animals there is a chance to regain control of the animal population problem. Also making options for spaying and neutering their pets more generally available would be a big step in the right direction.

Learn more about this author, Chrystina Trulove-Reyes.
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