Animals: Defenseless animals dying in shelters

Washington needs to stand up for a change in the number of pets that enter shelters each year. I am a student in college, and I have been a volunteer at a local animal rescue for almost three years. During this time my eyes have filled with tears, my heart overcome with distress, as I’ve been awakened to the reality of flooded shelters. Statistics show that across the U.S. about 5 million pets enter shelters every year, and nearly 3.5 million pets in shelters are euthanized each year. This means fewer than half of pets who go into these doors come out to a new family, or their found owners.

We need to stand up for what is right, and euthanasia of these defenseless companions because of flooded shelters is not right, but is a lousy excuse for lives lost.

This story was originally published May 20, 2016 at 1:49 PM with the headline "Animals: Defenseless animals dying in shelters."