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Long-Term Care - The Problem

© Sherrie Walker

My Pepper - before
The no-kill movement is gaining momentum across the country. Spay/neuters are up, euthanasias are down. While this is wonderful news to animal lovers everywhere, the no-kill movement has produced a troubling situation that is just now being recognized and addressed.

In a traditional shelter, a dog or cat is brought in, judged healthy and friendly, and is placed for adoption. If he is adopted, great, but what if he isn't? Chances are, if that special someone doesn't walk through the front door within a couple of weeks, that healthy, friendly, adoptable animal will go out the back door. Why? Because dozens more healthy, friendly, adoptable animals have come in in those two weeks. They deserve a chance, too, and there isn't enough room for them all. It's truly a horrible situation, and it's the driving force behind the no-kill movement.

No-kill shelters have their own problems, however. They are constantly full to overflowing and have to turn animals away. This is one of the main criticisms leveled against the no-kill movement by so-called "open-door" shelters. There is another problem, however, and that is the quality of life available to those animals who don't get adopted quickly, or worse, never get adopted.

The shelter environment is extremely stressful for dogs and cats. Shelter animals are constantly exposed to unfamiliar sounds and odors, lots of other animals, and strange people. Whatever daily routine they were used to is gone, replaced by a new routine or perhaps no routine at all. And they're in a cage. Dogs and cats both appreciate a cozy "den" to retreat to, but a cage is not a den. A cage allows both too much and too little exposure to the environment. It allows sights, sounds, and smells to enter but prevents exploration and interaction. It also affords no place to hide or opportunity to flee if those sights, sounds and smells are frightening.

Disease is always a concern in any shelter. With so many animals living in such close quarters, great care must be taken to keep everything as clean and germ-free as possible. Sue Sternberg, noted lecturer, shelter owner, and trainer, believes there is another cause for disease in shelter animals, however. "Germs don't cause disease - stress does," says Sternberg. The relationship between stress and disease in humans is well documented - attributing the same relationship to animals is not much of a stretch.

Pets are often relinquished to shelters because of behavior problems. Cats that refuse to use the litter box or who bite and scratch, and dogs that bark too much or display destructive or aggressive behavior, may suddenly find themselves homeless, confined to a cage in a shelter. Unfortunately, the typical shelter environment is likely to make behavior problems worse and even create problems where none existed before.