Stray Dogs
Jane Doe
English 2000 – 203
Teacher
27 April 2012
Argument Synthesis It is important to control the dog population without causing unnecessary or avoidable animal suffering. Stray dogs are not only seen as a nuisance, but also as a safety hazard. Veterinary services play a lead role in preventing diseases and ensuring animal welfare and are involved in dog population control, coordinating their activities with other competent public institutions and agencies. Local animal control organizations, such as the Capital Area Animal Welfare Society in the Baton Rouge area, have been trying several different methods to control the stray dog population in residential Baton Rouge. The Cornwall Council from the Seattle animal shelter defines a stray dog as “…any unattended dog on public or other land. It does not include a dog on its owner’s property or on any other land where it has been allowed by the occupier or landowner. It also does not include any dog under the charge of its keeper, even if it is not on a lead.” (p.27) When animal shelters take in a dog they found astray, they typically give the owners one week to try to reclaim their pet before adopting it out, because it is often hard to determine whether or not the dog that was taken in was homeless or not if it was not wearing a collar. Most organizations for controlling the stray dog population result in euthanizing several hundred or even thousand dogs a year, but is that really necessary? Spaying or neutering the stray dog population is far more humane than putting it to death. But on the contrary, researchers such as Rahul Sehgal claim that spaying or neutering is almost pointless. But is that true considering euthanization is nearly the same concept? Rahul Sehgal, a researcher mentioned in the article “Slum Dogs” states that “It does no good to swoop in with a crew of vets and techs and spay every dog you can get your hands on and then leave. Even though it makes us feel great to spay or neuter a
English 2000 – 203
Teacher
27 April 2012
Argument Synthesis It is important to control the dog population without causing unnecessary or avoidable animal suffering. Stray dogs are not only seen as a nuisance, but also as a safety hazard. Veterinary services play a lead role in preventing diseases and ensuring animal welfare and are involved in dog population control, coordinating their activities with other competent public institutions and agencies. Local animal control organizations, such as the Capital Area Animal Welfare Society in the Baton Rouge area, have been trying several different methods to control the stray dog population in residential Baton Rouge. The Cornwall Council from the Seattle animal shelter defines a stray dog as “…any unattended dog on public or other land. It does not include a dog on its owner’s property or on any other land where it has been allowed by the occupier or landowner. It also does not include any dog under the charge of its keeper, even if it is not on a lead.” (p.27) When animal shelters take in a dog they found astray, they typically give the owners one week to try to reclaim their pet before adopting it out, because it is often hard to determine whether or not the dog that was taken in was homeless or not if it was not wearing a collar. Most organizations for controlling the stray dog population result in euthanizing several hundred or even thousand dogs a year, but is that really necessary? Spaying or neutering the stray dog population is far more humane than putting it to death. But on the contrary, researchers such as Rahul Sehgal claim that spaying or neutering is almost pointless. But is that true considering euthanization is nearly the same concept? Rahul Sehgal, a researcher mentioned in the article “Slum Dogs” states that “It does no good to swoop in with a crew of vets and techs and spay every dog you can get your hands on and then leave. Even though it makes us feel great to spay or neuter a
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