Pet overpopulation huge Valley problem

I have been haunted the last couple of months. You might think it has something to do with Halloween but the two are totally unrelated. I am not the only one this has been happening to, either.

At night when I try to go to sleep, I see eyes - brown, blue, and golden eyes - staring at me, begging me to help them. I am so torn because I know I can only help a couple, and which ones do I choose? It brings some new friends and me to the point of tears on a weekly basis.

Two months ago I started fostering shelter dogs in the Mat-Su Valley. These are dogs that are scheduled for euthanasia. I was apprehensive at first because I assumed that shelter dogs would be ill-mannered or hyperactive dogs.

After all, why else would someone let them go? I was so wrong. The nine dogs that have been in my home in the last two months have been sweet, well-mannered, gentle spirits. Yes, they were in need of some basic obedience skills, but learned them quickly in the few days I had them.

They were smart and became devoted to me during that time. When I found a good loving home, I was still teary - but more with happiness. I would like to give a BIG thank you to those people who adopted them and say bless you for giving our pets a second chance.

There are a lot of reasons, I have learned, that pets end up in the shelter. Some people just get tired of them. They are like kids; they require work and responsibility. Like children, you don't train them once and expect that you are finished. It is an ongoing process.

Some people bring them in thinking they are not getting enough attention and that they are doing them a favor. Chances are great that they will be euthanized. Pets that are owner-released at our shelter can be put to sleep the next day. There is not really an adoption period for them.

Some people dump their dogs in the Valley thinking they might have a better chance out here when in fact they will have less of a chance and most likely will be euthanized. They would have been better off staying in Anchorage.

I heard that one man this week had become suddenly homeless for some reason and brought his six dogs to the shelter with tears in his eyes. I know for sure that at least one was adopted. I am not sure which would be worse, being homeless or losing your beloved pets. There are people who can't seem to figure out how to restrain their pets and tire of picking them up at the shelter, so they let them be put down.

There was a golden lab mix last week with beautiful golden eyes and a large white spot on his chest. He seemed sweet and well-mannered; he was one of the dogs haunting me along with Peaches, a mastiff who is scheduled to die today.

There are as many reasons that they end up in the shelter as there are pets, but it seems to me that it is usually a problem with the people not knowing how to care for or train the dogs, not the dogs or cats themselves.

Sure there are a few that are not trainable by the average person, or perhaps are aggressive, but most of them are good, trainable pets.

I have met several of the shelter workers out here and want to thank them for helping us save as many pets as possible, and for sometimes rescuing pets themselves or going out of their way to find people who can.

They are just as much animal advocates as the rest of us who love our pets. They have a very, very difficult job to do. It can't be easy seeing so many beautiful animals put to sleep each week because other people refuse to or can't take responsibility for their pets. They are often depicted as the "bad guys," but they are good people doing a tough job. They are heroes in my book and rarely get the credit they deserve.

So, why am I writing this? I am asking you for help. Look around your home and see if you have more love and room in your house to care for another pet. If you do, then adopt them from the Anchorage or Mat-Su shelter. If you live in the Valley and would be able to help us foster pets, please call Sandy Petal, our SPCA representative, at 745-5362.

Go to its Web site at www.geocities.com/matsupets if you would like to see some of the pets that are currently at the shelter. You can also see pictures of the pets that are in foster care right now. Please, help us by donating gently used leashes, collars, toys, bowls, kennels, child gates, blankets/dog beds and crates for the foster families.

Take them to the Alaska SPCA Mobile Clinic office on Winding Brook Lane near Four Corners in care of Mat-Su Pets or give them to Friends of Pets, who have their own more established program in Anchorage. You can also donate money to the Alaska SPCA in care of Mat-Su pets.

The most important thing you can do, however, is to be responsible for your own pets. Please don't let your pet or your pet's offspring become one of the 2000 animals euthanized at the shelter each year. (I am sure there are many more at the Anchorage shelter.)

Spay and neuter your pets. If you are allowing your pet to breed you are a big part of the reason many of these animals are being destroyed. Please don't put it off, SPCA can do it for you if money is an issue, at a reduced price compared to typical veterinary prices.

Make sure your pets are licensed and have name tags in case they get lost or wander away, so that you can get them back quickly. At the Mat-Su shelter they will hold a stray for three days without tags, for five days with tags.

Check the hook they are attached to frequently so they don't fall off and get lost, and the condition of their collars.

If you can't help out in any other way, perhaps you could send some prayers or positive thoughts to the 20 or so pets that will die this morning at our shelter. That they will not suffer and be welcomed into dog and kitty heaven with open arms and lots of love.

Also, send some prayers for the pets waiting to be adopted and for pet owners to love and be responsible for their pets.

Michele Menzia is a Wasilla resident.