The definition of a shelter is "a place or structure giving protection". Synonyms include, retreat, safety, cover, asylum, protection, sanctuary, harbour, guard, haven and security.

Unfortunately any "shelter" with an unlimited surrender policy takes all animals that come to the door and unfortunately for the animal, they must kill the UNSELLABLE.

The general public has had the habit of abandonment presented to them as acceptable for years by the very shelters that have consistently killed the animals who don't sell. This enabling of pet abandonment by the shelters has been a boost for donations but has certainly not been in the animals' best interest.

Now the habit of abandonment and the sheltering of the abandoned is entrenched within society. The solution many grasp at is building a bigger, better shelter that will attract more donations.

This truly is not the answer.

Shelters are not homes and shelters are not the solution for the animals...it is truly too bad that the animals' needs are so quickly forgotten and replaced by greed in one or many forms. The problem, if the shelterers thought for a second, is not a lack of shelters but a lack of all the things the shelters cannot and do not provide, particularly love, attention and a lifetime home.

In Victoria over 30 years ago there were two spay and neuter societies formed, the Victoria Cat Rescue Corp and Greater Victoria Animals' Crusaders. Both societies realized the over-population problem could only be solved by stopping the source of the problem. Thora Scanlon Bonneau, founder of Victoria Cat Rescue Corp with her husband Tommy once said, " Build another shelter and it will be full the day after it is finished. People who would otherwise have kept their pet now don't have to as it is easy to give to a shelter." This still holds true today. Instead of a bigger, better, donation-swallowing shelter that only helps a small percentage of the animals in need, there are other options and answers.

A few of the answers are a comprehensive spay/neuter program, pre/post adoption counselling and rehabilitation, community medical support for low-income pet owners, access to comprehensive animal training and therapy if necessary, and other community-based programs. The community must take responsibility for its own animals but re-education of society is required for this to be successful. Shelters educate people in abandonment.

The main difficulty seems to be explaining population control. Why does it seem so complicated to so many people? If you spay a cat in its first six months you have cut back the cat population by thousands at a cost of under $100.00 This is a true bargain. How much sheltering can be done for $100? If you spay a dog the result is the similar. These unborn animals do not need sheltering, rescuing and will not be abused. These unborn animals will also not add to the population problem.

The reason Spay and Neuter is not in the forefront in my opinion is because spay and neuter does not attract millions of dollars in donations each year as it does not have warm, fuzzy "saved poor little Suzy" stories attached to it.

Therefore do not expect any sudden change to REAL ANIMAL WELFARE from those entrenched in providing "sheltering" at any cost to the animals involved in exchange for donations.