Just like former Mayor Gavin Newsom had ambitious and well-intentioned plans to find every homeless person a home by 2014, the local SPCA has crafted a somewhat similar plan to spare all San Francisco cats and dogs from the same kind of hopelessness.
By 2020, the San Francisco SPCA says it will completely eliminate animal abandonment citywide, meaning irresponsible pet owners will no longer have good reason -- or reason at all -- to dump their pets at local shelters. We're not entirely sure (or convinced) the SPCA can save the world, but we are interested to see if it can accomplish what Gavin couldn't.
The SPCA says most pets are abandoned for three reasons: no access to vet care; behavioral problems (the pets, not the owners); and overpopulation (pet hoarding? C'mon, people). With that in mind, the kind folks over at the SPCA have decided to channel all their energy into teaching people the basics of caring for their pet, because let's face it, there's only so many free trips to New York Virgin airlines can give our local chihuahuas.
"By the time an animal enters a shelter, society or someone has already
failed it," Jennifer Scarlett, SPCA co-president said in a statement. "A
shelter should be a safe haven for those truly in need; not a
repository for bad decisions."
Part of this eight-year plan is to offer even more low-cost or free spaying and neutering to curb the rampant puppy- and kitty-breeding that's happening in your neighbor's backyard. On top of that, the SPCA will help create charitable vet care and establish more behavioral resources for those unruly pups.
And this is where you come in. Saving the world comes at a high price, which is why the SPCA needs your cash. So donate some money, and help save an adorable cat or dog from another idiotic owner.
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