1) Human's decision to not spay/neuter their pets result in the suffering and euthanizing of animals. Animals cannot speak for themselves and it is our responsibility to help control the population.
2)
Who: Cats and dogs, shelters, and pet owners
What: Overpopulation of cats and dogs
Why: Pets (cats and dogs, including free-roaming) are not spayed/neutered
According to the ASPCA, over 1.5 million animals are euthanized in shelters every year due to the over population of animals.
3)
Testing the who: I think business owners also have this need because free-roaming animals may not be welcome on their properties, which can result in them calling animal control and removing the animal(s).
Testing the what: Dogs and cats are not affected equally. Cats have this need more than dogs; The ASPCA states that more cats than dogs are euthanized each year. This could be because more dogs are adopted than cats.
Testing the why: Reasons why people do not spay/neuter their pets could be because: 1) they are not informed about how it saves lives, 2) they may not be able to afford it, and 3) they view an animal as disposable and less significant than a human life.
4) My interviews consisted of a pet sitting client, two foster parents (for animals), and two coworkers that own pets. The feedback from the interviews were favorable because they all share the same need, but I did receive insight as to why veterinarians may also share this need. The increase of spaying/neutering would increase their profits in two ways: the initial surgery of the animals and the continued care of the animals because of the likely longer lifespan. One foster parent that helps feed a cat colony on a business property (a gas station) has been attempting to trap and socialize the cats because management has threatened to remove them. There was a customer complaint about the cats which lead to their threat to call animal control. The colony is supposed to be protected, but she is having difficult in trying to find resources that will help her fight for the cats to stay. While the interviewees understood the importance of spaying/neutering pets, they were unable to provide a realistic approaching to prevent the problem from happening. Human kindness is the only option to provide rescue efforts for these animals, but it is not reliable. I'm learning this is a difficult opportunity, but I want to be able to solve it or at least provide something new to help lessen the suffering of animals. I'm curious as to how to propose legislation to an influential figure, like a legislator.
Hey Savannah!
ReplyDeleteYou have a really good idea here. As a pet owner, I totally understand the importance of getting your pet spayed or neutered. I rescued both of my dogs from shelters, and I actually ended up having to wait 2 weeks to adopt one of them because he was too young to be neutered when they found his litter. I am not sure if it is a state law, but I do believe that shelters are required to spay or neuter each pet before they get adopted.
I had the same issue with my opportunity in which I don't exactly have a solution to the issue I presented. Maybe your opportunity could start with working with local shelters? That is just an idea to tackling such a large problem. Good luck!
Salena Silvaria
Hey Savanna,
ReplyDeleteI think you found an original opportunity to work on. I agree with you, finding a solution to solve this situation is not easy, but awareness could be raised among pet owners, maybe through organizing ventures in which vets. This could be a first good step and I think that your hypothesis could lead to great opportunities if further developed. I myself have always had our pets neutered to avoid adding to the problem.