Pets
Many people share their life with a companion animal. Most are well looked after, but sadly not all are so fortunate.
Too often, people buy animals because they are cute, or it seems a good idea at the time, without thinking through all the responsibilities. This impulse buying can lead to the dog being left indoors all day, the rabbit forgotten in a damp hutch at the end of the garden, and the goldfish gasping for air in a bowl of dirty water, once the novelty has worn off. Poor health, old age or behavioural problems can lead to pets becoming too expensive and demanding, and, sadly, many are abandoned.
Ordinary owners often let their pets reproduce as well. But with so many abandoned animals already in need of a home, why deliberately create even more? Spaying and neutering are the best ways to help end the misery of unwanted and neglected animals.
Animal shelters are filled to bursting with unwanted animals. Hundreds of thousands have to be killed each year because they have not found new homes or because there are simply too many to look after. Despite this, pet breeders continue to produce more pedigree animals to supply the pet trade.
Capturing animals from the wild, as is the case for the majority of birds and reptiles sold as pets, not only causes intense distress to those animals, it also destroys natural populations. Reptiles are impossible to care for properly in captivity, as conditions can never replicate their natural environment.
Want to know more?
- Read our Companion Animals factsheet
- Read our Puppy Farms factsheet
- Find out more on the Pets section on main (adult) site
