A story on the plight of dogs in Detroit is a reminder to make your next pet a “recycled” one.

Times have been very tough in Detroit for some years and the situation has not only impacted its two-legged inhabitants, but the four-legged ones too. This Bloomberg report states as many as 50,000 stray dogs now roam the streets and vacant homes of the city.

The situation is incredibly tragic for all concerned – the dogs, the people that are living among them all and those that are left to try and deal with the issue.

I spend more time around a dog than people these days, so maybe that’s why stories like this really get to me – but it’s also because I used to volunteer in a shelter many years ago. I assisted in destroying many dogs and cats – and dealing with the remains.

To have a perfectly healthy dog licking your hand while you help kill it – its only crime being that it is unwanted – is heart-breaking. To then throw that limp body into an incinerator like a piece of garbage because someone else treated it as such just made it worse.

We’re such a throw-away society. People sometimes think when they abandon a pet; someone else will take care of it. Too often, that does not happen. These animals, through no fault of their own, then become a problem.

If these unwanted dogs don’t wind up in a shelter or the pound early on, they may turn feral and wreak havoc on other animals and humans. If they breed; environmental and other issues are just compounded.

Please, if you are considering getting a dog; think about a “recycled” one from an animal shelter. You’ll find many of these animals are house-trained, well behaved and eager to join a “pack” again – your family. Most shelters will observe the dog for a while first to ascertain what type of person or family it will suit and any behavioural issues.

Depending on the shelter, the cost will sometimes include spaying and vaccination. The money you spend will also help the shelter care for other animals; plus make a space so another dog may have a chance at a better life with someone that will care for it.

Learn more about recycled pets