In the past ten years I have adopted nine homeless dogs and cats. Of my dogs, Shu and Hunny were abandoned by their previous persons at gas stations, Boz was a stray and a Dumpster diver, and Puppy was from an unwanted litter. Of my cats, Tao and Karma were rejected as kittens, Maya was an older cat left at the animal shelter by her former family when they suddenly became “allergic” to her, Circe was tossed outdoors to wander alone and was captured by Animal Control, and Matilda was a homeless stray trying to fend for herself.

I’ve tried to do what I can to give my wonderful and challenging pets a good life. But no matter how many dogs and cats I try to save, I can’t save them all by myself. The problem of pet homelessness can only be resolved if we all do our part to prevent it.

Millions of healthy, adoptable animals are “euthanized” at public shelters and pounds each year in the United States because there are too many dogs and cats being born and not enough caring humans willing to give them a home. That our society condones killing homeless, healthy animals is nothing less than barbaric, but presently, this is the principal way animal homelessness is dealt with in the U.S.

Are no-kill shelters the answer to homelessness? No-kill shelters are permanent animal sanctuaries that have sprung up all over the country. They are generally run by well-intentioned people. But sometimes these people try to do too much by taking in too many animals without being able to care for them properly, and the animals suffer. Other no-kills severely limit the number of animals they take in.
Unfortunately, no-kill shelters cannot solve the homelessness problem on their own.

There is no question that, since humans have created domesticated cats and dogs in the first place, humans should take responsibility for their welfare. But sadly, it is humans who allow them to roam, humans who abuse, neglect and abandon them, and humans who fail to spay or neuter them, so the cycle of homelessness and suffering is perpetuated. But humans can also choose to end animal homelessness. There are a number of ways to accomplish this on an individual basis.

First, if you're already the guardian of a dog or cat and you haven't already done so, make an appointment with a veterinary clinic or animal shelter to have your pet spayed or neutered. Contrary to popular myth, "altering" an animal does not change its personality or make it sexually frustrated; in fact, it guards against some forms of cancer and prevents behavioral problems. And most importantly, it prevents future unwanted litters of dogs and cats who may end up at our already over-populated shelters.

If you’re considering pet adoption, there are many places to look for your ideal pet. You can visit your local shelter, contact breed rescue groups, check out the homeless animals up for adoption at Petco or PetsMart, and search websites like www.petfinder.com or 1-800-save-a-pet.com, whether you're looking for a particular breed of dog or cat or a mixed breed. Or consider taking a needy stray home with you instead of dropping it at the shelter. But if for some reason you can’t adopt permanently, another choice is to get involved in animal fostering through a shelter or rescue group and buy some precious time for a homeless animal.

A major contributor to the suffering of homeless animals is puppy and kitten mills, hellish breeding factories run by thoughtless, greedy people who just want to make a profit and have no interest in the welfare of the vast numbers of dogs and cats they breed in filthy, crowded conditions. The under-staffed USDA, which is responsible for regulating pet mills, has often turned a blind eye to even obvious abuses. So pet mills continue to pump out more and more animals, who suffer and often die at the hands of unscrupulous operators. These sick, congenitally damaged, undernourished, and neurotic assembly-line animals end up in pet stores, where unsuspecting customers buy them, unaware of their horrific background, and unknowingly encourage puppy and kitten mills to stay in business. Never buy a pet from a pet store unless the animal is sponsored by a shelter or rescue group.

If you're a breeder—whether you're a licensed dog or cat fancier, a pet mill operator, or a backyard breeder who just wants to make a few bucks off the family pet—please think twice about how you’re contributing to homelessness. You should realize that for every dog or cat that you breed and sell, you condemn a shelter dog or cat to death. Did you know that fifteen to twenty-five percent of shelter animals are purebreds? Or that thousands of breed rescue groups are kept busy trying to save homeless purebreds that have been abandoned or surrendered to shelters?

Many dedicated animal lovers work or volunteer at animal shelters and rescue organizations, where they confront painful issues like euthanasia as well as animal abuse and neglect every day. It’s a heartbreaking job for people who care about animals, and for my money, they have the hardest work on the planet. I'm sure they would love to see their jobs become extinct in a future society that is more compassionate and sensible about its pets, as in countries like Germany and Austria.

Ideally, all animal shelters will ultimately serve as temporary havens for homeless dogs and cats who are on their way to being adopted, not to being gassed or lethally injected. But that can only happen if every single one of us animal lovers takes responsibility for animal homelessness by limiting their numbers in the first place and making pet guardianship more a privilege than a right.