Zoe Ridgway

Mr. Melhuish

Period 1

2 December 2016

Annotated Bibliography

5 Things You Can Do to Reduce Pet Overpopulation - Oklahoma Animal Alliance. Oklahoma

Animal Alliance, http://animalallianceok.org/reduce-pet-overpopulation/ Acessed 06

December 2016.

This article questions why the euthanasia rate of animals is not going down as fast as it should

and the reasons for this slow progress. The Oklahoma Animal Alliance provides

evidence from their own work in the animal welfare community as a well established

animal center. This article provides ways anybody can help to diminish the problem of

animal overpopulation such as spaying and neutering your pets, spreading the word

about the problem, adopting pets instead of buying, stopping the breeding culture, and

being a responsible pet owner. As well as providing these easy solutions the author

provides resources and ways in which you can carry out these tasks. This article is

useful to me because with my project I want to decrease the overpopulation in shelters

and if easy solutions are at hand it will be easier and more effective when implementing

them.

Companion Animal Overpopulation: What You Can Do. Georgia SPCA, 22 Aug. 2015,

www.georgiaspca.org/qa-idausa-pet-overpopulation. Accessed 06 December 2016.

In this article the Georgia SPCA questions the human biology and social attitudes that have

lead to a prepetuation of overcrowding of animal shelters. After gathering information

from several other animal shelters and articles surrounding the stigmas of animal

shelters, the Georgia SPCA examined the causes of overpopulation and the solutions for
 it. In the article the author first examines the causes to animal overpopulation and then

argues that there are many preventative actions that could be taken to halt the problem

such as being a prepared and informed owner, spaying and neutering animals, and

providing animals with adequate identification. The article will help support me in my

project because it provides stepping stones to how I can go about solving the problem of

animal overcrowding. The article also delves into the deeper causes of pet

overpopulation so I can further understand the stigmas surrounding it. It also aids me in

giving me information that I can use once I educate both current and future pet owners

about preventing pet overpopulation.

Pet Statistics. ASPCA, www.aspca.org/animal-homelessness/shelter-intake-and-

surrender/pet-statistics. Accessed 01 December 2016.

In this article ASPCA provides statistics and other facts and questions why the numbers for

euthanized and homeless animals is so high. The data that the ASPCA provides is either

from research that they have collected themselves or that of which they have borrowed

from APPA. This article argues that the numbers of cats and dogs that are being

euthanized in animal shelters across america is way too high and that in order to stop

the culture of euthanasia the public needs to be educated. The article addresses that

adoption rates are increasing but not at a fast enough rate. I want to know all of these

facts because when I am educating people of the intensity of animal homelessness I will

be able to provide accurate facts. Instead of just solely saying a lot of animals are

euthanized, I will be able to provide specific statistics that will aid in the education

process. It also helps me further understand the wider scope of the problem at hand and

the other issues that come about from overcrowding in animal shelters.
Geyer , Marilee, and Diane Leigh . No Voice Unheard. One at a Time - A Week in an

American Animal Shelter,http://www.novoiceunheard.org/problems_solutions.html

Accessed 05 December 2016.

In this article Geyer and Leigh question the problems of animal homelessness and the

solutions that come with them. After having personal experience in the animal welfare

world Geyer and Leigh used their personal experience and extensive knowledge to

educate people on animal homelessness. This article assesses 3 major problems

surround animal shelters and overcrowding in these shelters and provides 3

corresponding solutions that can be put in place. These major problems are stray

animals, overpopulation itself, and surrendered animals that are relinquished to animal

shelters. Geyer and Leigh provide that the solutions are, identification and safe

confinement, spaying and neutering and educating, respectively. This article is useful to

my project because it provides me with three major areas to focus in on, ot also

provides me with solutions I can aim for while completing my project. I want to know

how I can go about fixing these problems from stopping animals from entering shelters

in the first place, to educating pre existing pet owners.

Pajer, Nicole. Reasons Dogs End up in Shelters. Cesar's Way, July 2015,

www.cesarsway.com/get-involved/rescue/reasons-dogs-end-up-in-shelters-rescue-

series-pt1 Accessed 06 December 2016.

In this article Pajer questions the 10 main reasons that dogs end up in animal shelters.

Pajer writes for Cesar Chavezs ,an established dog trainer, website therefore she

utilizes and examines the information he has collected through years of experience

working hands on with dogs and being in the animal welfare community. This article

examines the major reasons that dogs end up in animal shelters, Pajer then uses that
information to provide reasons to stop dogs that fall in these categories from entering the

shelter system. Most of these reasons are either surrounding behavior issues of the dog

or inability of the owner to continue care. This article is useful to my project because

once you know the reasons that dogs end up in shelters it is easier to come up with

creative and effective ways to stop that from happening. This article also provides

information that helps in such a way that once a dog has entered a shelter you can train

it and care for it so it becomes more adoptable.