“Whoever saves a life, saves the world entire.”
They say there’s no place like home but for millions of companion animals across the globe, there is no such thing as home.
Today marks International Homeless Animal Day. A day dedicated to spreading awareness of the conditions for homeless animals, to demand an end to their suffering and to provide a voice for these often forgotten creatures.
Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, abandonment rates of pets have skyrocketed. Animal shelters, rescue networks, and animal sanctuaries are desperate as the numbers of homeless animals continue to soar.
It’s impossible to determine just how many stray dogs and cats there are. What we do know is that homeless animals outnumber homeless people five to one.
About 7.6 million companion animals enter animal shelters nationwide every year. Of those, 3.9 million are dogs and 3.4 million are cats. And this number only takes into account those animals that are in shelters!
Homeless animals are soft targets for exploitation, cruelty, and abuse. There are shunned, beaten, set on fire, urinated on, tortured, starved, and murdered.
It’s horrific, but it happens…ALL THE TIME!
Other homeless animals die of dehydration, exposure to the elements, malnutrition, untreated diseases, or other conditions.
Too many sentient homeless animals capable of feeling love, pain, and fear, are left fighting for survival.
We live in a world that not only turns a blind eye to animal cruelty but condones it – whether through indifference or legislation. And it needs to stop.
A country that cannot take care of its most vulnerable is no society at all.
Every day, we fight tooth-and-nail to help homeless animals.
With the help of our supporters, we bring hope to thousands of dogs every day around the world. We have 20 animal feeding schemes in 12 countries, finance spay and neuter programs and no-kill shelters, we rescue donkeys in Africa and Greece and have saved hundreds from the Chinese donkey-skin trade. We fund street cat feeding and spay and neuter programs.
For every animal saved, there are countless others who still need someone to be their voice. We try to be that voice.
