We all feel caught by the selfish people of this world. We worry for the dog or cat they want to get rid of. We all ask ourselves, what will become of it if we don't take it?

But how many of us in animal welfare look farther than the cat or dog in front of us at one moment in time? How many look squarely at our enabling part in what we hate?

How can this cavalier attitude to dumping pets ever change if so many people make it not only possible, but easy and free? Even the local landfill charges to dump your unwanted goods.

We can all "educate" until the cows come home, but as long as animal welfare groups make it possible to dispose of an unwanted pet, it is not ever going to end.

Spay/neuter programs have not fixed the problem, as much as animal welfarists think they can. Education has not fixed the problem either. Both these things can, at best, just reduce the number of pets being off-loaded.

Just saying No is what will fix it. If everyone refused to take any dogs or cats from dumpers, dumping would sure stop in a hurry.

Think of this in terms of automobiles: if you knew that if you bought a car you could never resell it and could only pay to have it destroyed when you didn't want it anymore, would you ever buy a car?

All consuming is based on there being a place to dump the goods once they are no longer wanted. Produce - sell - purchase - dispose. Without the dispose part, none of the others could exist.

If it was clearly understood that if you get a pet, there is nowhere to get rid of it except by paying a vet to euthanize it if you change your mind, then most people would not get a pet, breeding would dry up, and pounds and SPCA's would empty.

Ah... and there you have it!

Why do pet shufflers keep on taking dumped pets? Well...there are jobs and money in it for some, glory in it for others, and a life for many.