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Heartbreak Hotel, Humane Society
by Lala Kubo-Bevilacqua

This year over 6 million cats and dogs will enter an animal shelter somewhere in the United States. Only half of these will be adopted.  These once-loved pets are surrendered by their owners, abandoned in empty houses, or found wandering the streets.   In a military community like Twentynine Palms, many animals find their way into shelters when their owners deploy or move to a new duty station and feel they can no longer handle the responsibility of ownership.  

Surrendered pets can count themselves luckier than the abandoned, as local shelters provide a glimmer of hope for finding a permanent, loving home.  In the high desert, abandoned animals must fight a losing battle to survive against the elements of nature, wild predators, starvation, and the constant danger of fast moving cars.

Helpless victims
According to Palms N Paws Animal Shelter in Twentynine Palms, one in three pets gets lost during its lifetime.  Many of these animals are simply abandoned by thoughtless owners and often starving or injured when they enter the shelter.  Abandoned animals have a slim chance of survival in the unforgiving environment of the desert.  During summer seasons, the intense heat and unrelenting sun can quickly cause dehydration.  Lack of food leads to malnourishment, which is a drawn-out death sentence for many pets.  Smaller pets left in the open quickly find themselves prey to owls, coyotes and other predators.  Traffic is a more immediate danger.  In an ideal world, no pet would ever go homeless, but if all options have been exhausted, pets should be surrendered to an animal shelter and never abandoned.  

“No one likes to think of leaving their pet at a shelter, but if you can’t take him with you it is, by far, more humane than leaving him in an apartment or a house alone,” advises Stephanie Shain on the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) website. Shain, who is the Director of Outreach for Companion Animals at the HSUS, added,  “Too many animals die alone this way every year.  If people are absolutely unable to care for their pet any longer, they should take it to a local animal shelter or animal control agency.  The shelter can provide food and housing while trying to locate a new home.”

Pets are surrendered to shelters by their owners for multiple reasons.  Some pets outgrow their “cuteness,” while others don’t mesh well with pets already living in the house.  Palms N Paws Animal Shelter requires a nominal fee for surrenders, which is used for the animals’ care and maintenance.  Dawn Wallace, Shelter Attendant at Palms N Paws laments that owners unwilling to pay the fee often abandon their animal at the doorsteps of the facility at night.                

On average, 200 to 400 animals are brought into each local shelter annually. In order to maintain space availability, most shelters follow an “adoptability” assessment.  Shelters determine how adoptable an animal is by assessing their temperament, health and age; euthanizing only those who fail to meet adoptability standards. As cruel as it may sound, most shelters have neither the funding nor the resource to humanely house the multitude of animals brought in. Morongo Basin Humane Society in Joshua Tree is the only no-kill shelter in the area. This often leads to an overflowing facility. In the end, the burden of responsibility falls on the owner to provide an adequate and loving home so that their pets never face an uncertain future.

The Marine Corps factor
Michelle Willey, a Shelter Attendant at Morongo Basin Humane Society, says she has accepted surrenders from many military families who buy or adopt their dogs as puppies. When the military member deploys, the spouse realizes she can no longer handle the now adult pet alone.  Willey estimates that about 70 percent of animals brought into the Morongo Basin Humane Society are from military families.  These pets are often the victims of poor judgment and planning. 

For families seeking on-base housing, there are several pet-specific regulations that must be followed.  Wallace always asks potential adoption applicants if they live in or plan to live in base quarters before matching adoptable dogs. Currently, pit bulls are prohibited from on-base housing. Violators are asked to remove the pet from the premises or risk being evicted. If you’re a pit bull owner, plan ahead before making the decision to apply for base quarters. 

As more and more pets end up in local humane shelters, it’s vital for the Marine Corps community to assume accountability and assure that pets do not become mere disposable commodities for a brief period of enjoyment.

Mending a broken heart
Aside from the basic necessities of survival, animals housed in shelters need love more than anything else, according to volunteer dog walker, Karen Coate, who has donated her time to the Morongo Basin Humane Society three times a week for the past nine months.  Animals in shelters lack human interaction and quickly become territorial, making their fate all the dimmer.  Volunteers are vital in keeping the animals socialized and adoptable, and providing the love and affection they are starved for.

Above all else, shelter animals desperately need a committed, responsible and loving home.  For those considering adding a new family member, give serious consideration to adopting an animal from a shelter. For a small fee, most shelters provide vaccinations, de-worming and spaying or neutering services prior to adoption. They also have a constant flow of new, sometimes purebred animals.

Puppies and kittens tend to get adopted faster than adult dogs and cats, but many advantages exist in adopting an animal beyond its baby years.  According to Willey, adult animals are usually house-broken and past the destructive phase common in puppies.  Also their personality is fully developed so there is no guess work on what their temperament will be. What you see is what you get. Before making any decisions, be ready to stick to it.  Wallace advises “If you want an animal, you should be ready to make a lifetime commitment.” 

For more information you can visit the 29 palms animal shelter site at Palms And Paws Animal Shelter.