Thinking About the Future...

Dear Supporter:

I wanted to take a moment to share some thoughts with you about the HSPCA and about the future of animal welfare in our community. I could write about the successes we've managed over the course of the past year or the generosity of both organizations and individuals that have stepped forward to help the HSPCA become the best it's ever been. Those who've contributed in support know how much we've grown. Instead of writing about our past, however, I'd like to focus on where we're headed. I have, after all, been thinking a great deal about the future…

In September I managed to take a vacation, traveling the length of California beginning in San Diego. Instead of hitting the major attractions though, I spent time at several major shelters in San Diego and again in San Francisco meeting with various animal welfare leaders. Our discussions typically left me both frustrated and optimistic; frustrated in that, here in the Midlands, we truly have a long way to go, yet optimistic in that many of our core problems have been effectively dealt with in other areas of the country.

Most of our challenges revolve around the core of animal welfare; euthanasia. Incidentally, it is the leading cause of death for cats and dogs in our country, equating to between 4 and 5 million deaths each year. Here in the Midlands, our euthanasia rate numbers around 20,000 pets per year and is funded, operationally speaking, by approximately $3 million of taxpayer money. It doesn't take much skill to project out what our community's numbers will be in five or ten years. Needless to say, unless our community consciously chooses to address this issue, an inordinate amount of tax money will be spent to support what essentially amounts to a legacy of death. The simple reality is that euthanasia is not a viable solution to the community-wide problem of pet overpopulation.

What shelters in California and other areas have done is demonstrate that animals have value beyond the intrinsic value inherent in all life, and that their value is an asset to a healthy community. They've attracted talented individuals to their industry and they’ve developed a positive approach to saving animals' lives.

The HSPCA is moving diligently forward to embrace many of the life affirming concepts put forth by such innovative organizations. From our view, a discussion on our region's animal welfare issues deserves constant attention. It deserves the consideration of our community's leaders, of shelter staff, and of the governing bodies of our area’s private non-profit animal welfare groups. It's time, after all, to start measuring our community's success not by the number of animals euthanized at local shelters, but by the number of lives we save.

Josh Gowans
Executive Director

Share The Word

Do you know of anyone who you think would be interested in receiving this newsletter? If so, please feel free to forward this newsletter to a few friends. Make sure they know about what's happening with the Humane Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.