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Jennifer Raymond's avatar

It seems that Best Friends is willing to try ANYTHING but the very obvious solution of reducing the birthrates through spay and neuter. If affordable spaying and neutering became widely available through generous funding (which Best Friends could certainly provide) pet overpopulation would quickly begin to decline. Shelters would become less crowded, and animal control budgets could be shifted to maintaining spay and neuter programs, because the thing about spay/neuter (or other sterilization techniques, if they become available) is that they absolutely need to be ongoing. They are not high-profile extravaganzas that grab attention and bring in bucks, but they are the true no-kill solution.

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Bev's avatar

“Friendly, adoptable animals in high-intake shelters are being euthanized because of overcrowding, while unsocialized animals from rural shelters are prioritized to meet Best Friends’ metrics.” I hope Los Angeles elected officials takes note and develops policies to prevent Best Friends from importing rural dogs—particularly livestock guardian breeds—into urban areas. After adopting one myself, I’ve learned how challenging these breeds can be in non-rural settings. The low euthanasia rates in rural areas often mask a harsh reality: owners frequently resort to shooting these dogs when they don’t meet expectations. Best Friends also seems to lack a commitment to proper spay/neuter education, transporting dogs from areas without such programs into Los Angeles, exacerbating local issues.

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