Especially now

“Pet stores to open in our city, despite animal shelters' being full''

It was only yesterday announced that a renowned pet store chain is going to expand by three
branches in our city. This has caused a lot of inauguration, especially now that the local animal
refugees are full to capacity.

To begin with, it is well worth considering the cause of all this commotion - which is probably the
impact these few branches can have on the animal shelters and on stray animals in general. If we
allow for the high reputation of this chain, it is rational to consider that the majority of citizens will
opt for purchasing a pet from them rather than from a shelter. Either way, we all long for paying
some more money and resting assured that our impending pet has been well-cared for, raised in an
environment that enhances good behaviour and by professional breeders. These are actually the
characteristics this pet store is known for and according to a recent study the three very
accommodations 75% of adults dispute their being offered in shelters, eventually leading to their not
preferring them. So, the already low demand for adopting animals will most likely decline even
more.

Plus, this store comparing to a shelter, is a business which as any other one has the objective of
making a profit. Thus, it is highly unlikely it will carefully screen potential pet owners but instead
may as well coax some people into becoming ones. Still, what will ensue from this is quite apparent
as the majority of the inappropriate pet owners will eventually abandon their pets, meaning even
more stray animals on the roads.

All these facts combined though, pose a heart-rending problem. With regards to a new survey,
among animals in shelters only 20% are reclaimed by owners, 40% are adopted and the rest, another
staggering 40%, is euthanized.

Therefore, as shelter adoption fees cover the cost of food and medicine fewer adoptions will lead to
a lack of these bare necessities. The lamentable result is that rescue groups will have no means to
feed and take care of sheltered animals, that is most of them will either starve to death or contract
an illness which they will not be able to be cured for. In addition to this, more stray animals needing
a refugee will coerce rescue groups into euthanizing old, weak or sick ones, which will be
commonplace as mentioned before, in order to shelter some that are more likely to be adopted and
saved. Overally, euthanization rates will increase even more and innocent animals will be unjustly
killed.

To sum up, indeed these pet stores will aggravate even more the problem our city has been facing
for years; the abandonment of animals, demonstration of indifference towards them and a general
unwillingness to adopt, which led us in the first place to crammed shelters. Hence, it should be
contemplated that even if these stores do open, the culprit for the exacerbated injustice posed on
animals will not be them (these stores) but OUR declining to assume right responsibility for their (the
animals') well-being for SO MANY YEARS...