Wild at Heart: Pet Overpopulation

Over the next week, I will be bringing you previews of the work that will be exhibited this Saturday, May 26th at "Wild at Heart: Keep Wildlife in the Wild," the endangered species benefit that Andrew Hosner and I are co-curating at Thinkspace. 20% of the proceeds of the show will go to Born Free USA to help threatened wildlife. Hope to see you there!

Edwin Ushiro "The Golden Hour"

Four million cats and dogs are euthanized in U.S. shelters each year — that’s about one every eight seconds. Often these animals are the offspring of cherished family pets. Spaying and neutering reduces pet overpopulation, ensuring that every pet has a family to love them. Many cats and dogs that die as a result of pet overpopulation might have made wonderful pets, but between six and eight million dogs and cats enter U.S. shelters every year, far more than there are homes for.

Feral pets are also a threat to many native species, some of which are endangered. Birds, reptiles and small mammals are vulnerable to predation by hungry cats and dogs. Other feline and canine species, such as the Clouded Leopard and the Ethiopian Wolf, are vulnerable to the diseases their domestic relatives often carry.