East Texas has an extreme stray dog overpopulation problem which has led to overcrowding of shelters and rescues and the unfortunate necessity to euthanize homeless dogs, not because they aren’t adoptable, but because there aren’t enough homes willing to adopt these dogs in need. At the heart of this issue is the tragic truth that pet owners just aren’t responsibly spaying and neutering their dogs for a plethora of reasons.
Some pet owners believe that they only need to have their female dogs spayed, but neglect to get their male dogs neutered. Unfortunately, male dogs are able to procreate daily, while female dogs are only able to carry two litters per year. And male dogs can become aware of female dogs in heat up to three miles away. There is very little that can be done to stop a male dog from carrying out his genetic inclination when he is aware of the opportunity. Not fixing male dogs inevitably leads to unwanted litters of puppies.
Some pet owners believe that they shouldn’t get their female dogs spayed before she has her first cycle. Unfortunately, for a lot of dogs, that means the opportunity to produce a litter can oftentimes lead to pregnancy before the owners are even aware.
Because of the number of un-sterilized dogs in the area, many unwanted litters are dumped on backroads here every single day. At Fureverwood, it is a rare day that we aren’t receiving a call from someone looking for us to come round up abandoned puppies. Unfortunately, we are often operating at capacity here at Fureverwood and the same is true for the other shelters and rescues in the area. It is heartbreaking to realize the number of dogs that are euthanized weekly in East Texas because of the sheer number of them with no options other than to be rounded up by municipality-run kill shelters.
Every dog that is adopted out by Fureverwood has been spayed/neutered before they are ready for its forever home. Other pet owners can do their part to eliminate the overpopulation problem in our area and the need to euthanize so many dogs by contacting their vet and arranging for the procedure as soon as possible. The Animal Protection League is an organization in East Texas that offers low-cost spaying and neutering in the area.
The only way to a world where we no longer have unwanted healthy dogs being put down is by everyone doing their part to sterilize their pets. The second step toward that goal is for all pet owners to microchip their pets so that no loved and wanted animals get lost and end up in shelters, unclaimed. Microchipping is where a tiny chip is implanted under a pet’s skin by injection with a hypodermic needle. That chip transmits an ID number through an RFID radio frequency when scanned by a device at a shelter or veterinarian’s office. That ID number is registered to the pet’s owner so that the animal can be reunited with its owner in the event it gets lost.
Fureverwood hosts community microchipping events monthly at Pint and Barrel. For a $25 donation, you can have your dogs easily microchipped and registered through us at the event. We use the Petstablished platform to register dogs easily and seamlessly.
Spaying and neutering your dog and making sure it is microchipped and registered to you will help us in our mission to make sure that every dog has a home. Please join us in this mission and do your part.