By: JOHN-PAUL YOUNG CADDO COMMISSIONER DISTRICT 4
Lots of folks love animals, cats, dogs, parrots, ferrets, etc. Some love cuddly puppies and kittens than make messes inside and chew up the couch and grow up too fast. Some folks with big hearts adopt grown up animals who need homes and love just as much as when they were younger.
So, which is better? Should you get a puppy or adopt an adult dog?
The answer has some economics behind it, but it’s pretty simple. Some people keep their pets intact so that they produce offspring, and they can multiply at an astonishing rate. If a casual, unlicensed breeder can sell off even half his puppies and kittens, he can make a bundle at a low cost. That’s why puppy mills are profitable.
But profits for the careless breeder usually mean big costs, both in dollars and in heartache for the public and for concerned animal lovers. Unsold pup pies are often neglected, abandoned or worse. Those that find their way into the parish’s care become a big financial burden and take up needed space and staff’s time. No one at the parish animal shelter wants to euthanize a healthy dog or cat. But as we push toward a no-kill philosophy, the numbers become more and more important.
For some animals, it’s just their time to pass on. But in some cases, there are just too many animals to safely manage and house. We could raise taxes to build more and more kennels (but that’s not very popular), but we should also try to inform citizens about responsible attitudes towards getting a pet.
If Caddo citizens stopped buying puppies because they’re so cute and started adopting adult pets more from shelters and rescue groups, the profitability dog puppy mills would decline. There would also be more space in our animal shelter to take in dogs and cats in need of our care. A boycott on puppies might seem a little harsh — they’re adorable, after all — but it could reduce the demand that is driving the trend of animal overpopulation here.
Caddo had a record number of adoptions in 2019, so we are making progress that must continue and accelerate if we are going to get to the no-kill ideal.
So the answer to the question I posed in the headline is — YES, TWO!
Adult dogs and cats might not be exactly as helplessly precious now that they’re grown up, but they are the same animals with the same hearts. They want your love and affection and cuddles as much as ever, and they are waiting for you right now. Tell your friends and neighbors!
Check out the weekly highlighted pets for adoption from Caddo Parish here in The Inquisitor. And thank the ownership of this paper for extending this valuable advertising for a life-and-death mission.
Check out the Caddo Parish dog adoption website to see who wants to fetch for you!
THIS ARTICLE WAS PUBLISHED IN THE February 14 ISSUE OF THE INQUISITOR.