The word ‘homeless” conjures up a desperate negative picture of poverty, need, neglect, and degradation when applied to humans.
The sight of a homeless person desperately clinging to the scanty possessions he has, while warming his hands over a small fire is a fairly common sight in today’s society. Just as we can be homeless, so this applies to dogs. These unfortunate dogs may not cling desperately to their possessions but are also, however, in desperate need.
Fortunately, there are angels out there that seek these animals out and, if not adopting them themselves, take them to shelters where they can be safe and cared for. In today’s throw-away society many animal shelters find themselves hopelessly overcrowded with four-legged friends that have been simply discarded by their owners or often rescued from severe abuse. These dogs are rehabilitated and then put up for adoption. Potential adopters have to follow stringent guidelines in order to ensure that the adopted dog will be going to a good home.
This sometimes deters some from adopting and thereby places more strain on the shelter. It is really unusual for a shelter not to have this problem, so imagine the delight when an animal shelter in Henderson was able to announce with incredulity that they had not even one animal left in their shelter – all the animals had been fortunate enough to find new homes!
If only this could happen more often! By encouraging people to adopt instead of buying dogs, we can make this more likely to happen.
Images & Feature Image Source: City of Henderson Animal Care and Control