Is it hopeless?

[Lucky Rescue]

This message board is just one teeny weeny microcosm of society. How many posts have we had lately about people irresponsibly breeding their cats and dogs, either deliberately, ignorantly or negligently?

Right now, Petfinder ALONE lists 230,000 homeless dogs and cats, and that does not reflect the other countless thousands who are not listed, nor the ones on the streets. Millions of animals will die this year, yet people see nothing wrong with adding more to the slaughter and continue to pump out more. In spite of all the educational material available, the numbers are going up, and not down.

These are NOT good or valid reasons for breeding:

"My dog is so cute and well-trained"(So?)
"My friends want a puppy from my dog"
"I want my kid to see the miracle of birth"(rent a video!)
"I like puppies"
"I want to make some money"
"My tabby cat is just so special and pretty" (so are the other million tabbies who will die this year)
"I can't afford to spay my pet" (Yet can afford to feed, vet and raise a litter??)
"Cute kittens always get adopted" (except the ones who don't - the majority)
"My kittens are purebred and will never end up in a shelter" (Wanna bet?)
"It's none of anyone's business" (except for those who have clean up the mess)

Two uncontrolled breeding cats create two litters per year at a survival rate of 2.8 kittens per litter. With continued breeding, they create:
Year 1 = 12 cats
Year 2 = 66 cats
Year 3 = 2,201 cats
Year 4 = 3,822 cats
Year 5 = 12,680 cats
Year 10 = 80,399,780 cats

IF you love your pet, please read Benefits of spaying and neutering and please do not contribute to the horrible problem of pet overpopulating and the suffering and death that accompanies it.

To get an idea of what is involved in responsible breeding, please check out this page, which contains many helpful and informative links:
http://www.dog-play.com/breeding.html

Okay, done ranting.