The Lost Innocents
Richard Napper
University of Phoenix

When an individual makes the complicated decision of adding a four-legged member to their family it should be viewed as a lifelong commitment. The majority of people who decide to take in a new four legged family member usually have the best intentions at the time. However, life happens and things tend to change. The puppy who was once small and adorable is now full grown, becoming ignored, and is chewing for attention. The kitten who was once a cute little ball of fur is now not so little and clawing the furniture and using the potty in paces other than the litter box. Maybe there was a job loss in the family, or the individual has become homeless because of financial mishaps. With foreclosure on the rise these days due to a bad economy this is happening more often than not lately. One must plan for these types of issues that may arise in the near or distant future. There are a lot of individuals who believe that an animal shelter is the answer of all answers. The awful truth is they are mostly overcrowded and under staffed. More animals get euthanized inside the shelter due to lack of space than adopted by potential lifelong owners in the animal shelter. The animal shelter should not be used as a way to ease guilt on the former owners’ conscience. It should not be used as a dump site or a place to put your older animal like you would a senior citizen in a nursing home. Is animal abandonment ethically and morally wrong no matter what the circumstances? It would depend on each individuals’ specific upbringing and belief system. Does Utilitarianism apply in the matter of abandonment? Does Deontology play a role in decision making? Does all of this mean that as long as a companion animal is put in a better home than you provided that the act of abandonment is alright to choose? It all would depend on your moral values. Ask yourself this question. Would you abandon your child under the same circumstances in the same manner? Are you more of a virtue ethicist or a believer in ethical egoism? In this research paper, I will attempt to show why abandonment should never be an easy answer and how much to it there actually is whenever accepting a new four legged pet into an individual’s home. I will also show how morals and ethics play a huge part in the pet adoption process. Adding a four legged member to your family is a major decision. Before you run into that adorable pound puppy face or that cute little ball of fur, you need to ask yourself a few questions. According to (Ellis, 2011), the following questions will help you determine if you are actually ready to invite a new member into your family. Why do you want a pet? Adopting a pet should be a lifelong commitment, not a spur of the moment encounter. Do you have time for a pet? They require a large amount of time and attention. They need playtime and exercise for at least an hour or more every single day. They require food, water, and multiple veterinarian visits. Can you afford a pet? There are an abundance of fees associated with having a pet. They include licensure, veterinary visits, food, grooming, toys, and other supplies deemed necessary to give your pet the best of life. Another major expense is the decision to have the animal spayed or neutered. This is a must to prevent accidental litters from happening. Are you prepared to deal with challenges if they become present? There could be fleas, claw marks on the furniture, or walls. There could be chew marks left everywhere. Are you really ready for all that can happen? Can you have a pet where you live? If you rent, have you considered whether the landlord allows pets or not? Some landlords will allow pets up to a certain weight. What happens if your new little bundle becomes bigger than originally expected? Are you willing and able to find a new home for you and your pet? Are you prepared to commit to this pet for the span of its life? As stated before in this research paper, a pet is a lifelong commitment, not a spur of the moment decision. There are several fees associated with the care of a companion animal. One must realize this before taking on the responsibility of owning one. If an individual is renting their home, there could be a required pet deposit to be paid before adopting a pet of your choosing. There are many different sets of inoculations that must be given by a licensed veterinarian. An animal must be dewormed on three separate occasions. There are required puppy/kitten health checks as well as yearly physicals. The doctor visits are similar to that of having a human child. One must also take into consideration the price of the appropriate care for the animal they are choosing to adopt. Although the spaying or neutering of an animal is a large expense, it is considered a need not a want. There are several benefits for both the pet and the owner by having this done. If your pet is a female, having her spayed will give her a better chance at having a long, happy, healthy life. Having her spayed before her first heat will give her a jump start on not obtaining uterine infections or breast cancer. This occurs in about ninety percent of cats and fifty percent of dogs. If your pet is a male, there are some benefits as well. If you have your male neutered within the first six months of his life, it will prevent him from obtaining testicular cancer ("Top Ten Reasons to Spay or Neuter Your Pet”). A major benefit for the owner to neuter a male is to prevent the dominance feature of what is known as leg hiking. If a male becomes neutered before six months of age he is less likely to do this offense. They are a lot less likely to want to roam. This makes it less likely for them to get lost, or hit by a car while running away. It is also the morally correct thing to do for your companion animals because it benefits their health. According to "The Dog Rescuers" (), " Some people think it is cruel and unnatural to neuter a dog, but it is far crueler to have to kill his puppies because no one can take care of them.” If something were to benefit your health or the health of your family member or child, there would not even be a second thought. The same applies to your new four legged family member. There may come a time in your life when you are physically unable to care for your pet. Sometimes life gets rough and we have to make serious choices. Stregowski (), “In some cases, that means giving up a beloved pet. However, there are many ways to avoid this”. Sometimes things in life tend to happen out of nowhere and there is nothing we can do about them. According to HSUS/Petfinder (), “To ensure that your beloved pet will continue to receive this care should something unexpected happen to you, it’s critical to plan ahead.” There may come a time in your life where you have no choice but to find a new home for your beloved pet. Where do you turn? The first thing that comes to most individuals minds is the local animal shelter. Although this would be a good alternative if an individual had no choice, it should not be your first alternative. The "Animal Shelter Statistics" (2012) website; Here are a few facts regarding animal shelters. There are a total of 5,000 animal shelters nationwide. There are five million homeless animals each year that end up at the shelter. Out of the five million, 3.5 million will eventually have to be euthanized due to space and time constraints. Just because they are taken to a shelter, does not mean they will get adopted. Please remember that the shelter is not a place to take an animal just because you are tired of it or because the animal that you decided to take in is no longer of an entertainment value for you. The shelter is never to be used as a nursing home for your animal just because it is old. The shelter should not be used as a veterinarian either. The truth of the matter is most animals that have a sickness are euthanized because there are ten more healthy animals that are adoptable waiting to take its place. It should only be used as a last resort in finding an alternative for the animal that you chose to make the lifelong commitment to. Johnson (2009), First there are the ethical issues caused by overcrowding. The animals are getting packed and put in smaller pens than they should. Does this mean that the animal shelter should set a limit of how many animals they will help? Maybe there should be a size restriction, get rid of anything too big. Should sick, elderly or aggressive animals not be accepted? All these solutions would decrease the crowding problem, but are they ethical if the stated goal is to help the animals? In order to deter pet abandonment, some animal shelters are now charging a small fee in order to turn in an owner surrendered pet. The charging of an owner surrender fee is not actually doing what it was solely intended to do. Now the animal shelter workers are coming into work the next morning finding dogs chained to their fences, or cats in cages outside of the door. Donnelly (2006), “Pets that are left outside are a different story. The shelter takes them in, but because it doesn't know any information about their history, it has to quarantine them and put them through medical tests even though the pet may be healthy and up to date on shots. That ties up space and resources for other pets that come through the shelter, Gerthoffer said. If owners go through the proper process, the shelter at least can have current medical information on the pets, she said. “You got to do the right thing, then we'll help," Gerthoffer said. "I empathize with (pet owners) but that's really not the shelter's mission. “It’s sometimes hard to tell the difference between people who are bringing in legitimately abandoned animals that they found and owners who want to get rid of their pets, she said. Other shelters, including Beaufort County's animal shelter in Beaufort, have pens set up outside for overnight drop-offs.” Smith (2010), “Keiley’s shelter took in 54 abandoned animals in 2007, 78 abandoned animals in 2008, and 60 abandoned animals in 2009. Although the number of abandoned dogs sheltered at the Methuen MSPCA remained steady at about five per year, the abandoned cats taken in at the shelter steadily increased from 27 in 2007 to 43 in 2009. Those numbers only include the pets for which there is definitive evidence of abandonment and do not include the number of strays the MSPCA shelters -- many which may have been previously abandoned.” The National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy (NCPPSP) completed a study on the top reasons why animals end up at the shelter. The top main reasons why a dog may end up in a shelter was they no longer had time for their pet, the pet was now ill and they did not have the financial means to be seen by the veterinarian, and the animal is now becoming aggressive and biting. The same study indicated that the reasoning for cats being taken to the shelter was an individual has become allergic, the cat is now have potty accidents inside the home, and the cat is now not getting along with other four legged pets in the home. In that same study other reasons listed why an animal was taken to the shelter included the owner having lifestyle changes, the pet did not have the right statistics for the family, and the pet has now developed behavior issues (Michalski, 2012). Foreclosure and the economy has played a major issue with the abandonment of companion animals. Approximately one in one hundred seventy one homes are up for foreclosure due to the subprime mortgage crisis (Segura, 2009). Unfortunately the necessary and appropriate steps are unfortunately not being taken for the best interest of the animal itself. There has been a rise in companion animals being left to fend for themselves in an empty foreclosed upon house, or even left outside in the wild. This is not the right thing to do. The types of individuals that do this kind of thing are selfish people who identify with ethical egoism over virtual ethics. Individuals need to become more aware of the consequences of abandoning an animal. It is a crime in all fifty states. The crime of abandoning an animal comes with major consequences. An individual can be both fined and punishment by imprisonment. Kappelman (2008), “The penalty for pet abandonment is a fine of not more than $625 and up to 30 days in jail. The more serious charge of animal neglect carries a fine of up to $1,875 and imprisonment for up to one year. “Again, as stated many times before, the decision to add a companion animal to your home is a lifelong commitment, not a spur of the moment decision. These animals are not toys and cannot be thrown away once they become too big of a challenge or inconvenience. Another way animals are becoming more and more prone to abandoned at is a local veterinarian’s office. The pet owners seem to think that by waiting until the office is closed, they can put an animal in a cage and leave it at the front door without feeling guilty about it. The reason they do this is because they feel the animal will be taken care of since it is a doctor’s office. Since this is happening more and more, some local veterinarian offices are having to draw up a legal document in order to protect themselves. Allen (2000), “The form should mention the abandonment law specifically, not just in general terms. It could say something along the lines of, "abandoned animals will be adopted or euthanized in accordance with Sections 331 and 332 of the Agriculture and Markets Law and other state law as amended from time to time."
There are other alternatives to taking your pet to the shelter or abandoning them with the hope that someone will eventually fall in love with them and take them in. When an individual decides to have a pet in your life, they need to make sure that they are ready for the changes that may arise later on down the road. The pet that a person may choose may actually outlive that person. There needs to be a plan of just in cases that will ensure the animal’s safety and transition to a new owner. One should think about their new four legged addition in the same manner as if they were having a two legged child of their own. There needs to be a plan in place in case something were to happen in the future. Individuals can plan ahead for the worst by finding at least two responsible friends or family members that are ready, willing, and able to take care of your pet at the drop of a hat. Formal arrangements should be made ahead of time and put into writing. A pet can also be added to an individuals will and testament so that it can be deemed necessary for someone to be able to provide for your pet in your absence. An individual who identifies with ethical egoism may consider using the shelter and not feeling the need to plan ahead because they must do what is in their best interest instead of the best interest of the companion animal. An individual who lives by virtue ethics would not ever consider just abandoning their companion because they believe that their moral behavior is directly linked to leading a virtuous life. In other words what goes around comes around. A virtuous ethicist would make sure they had the necessary arrangements made in the case of their absence as well. I tend to agree more with living a virtuous life and planning ahead. Utilitarianism is defined as pleasure without pain. . Utilitarianism is a form of consequentialism. Consequentialism states that whether an act is right or wrong depends on the consequences of that act. If an action brings out the best outcome, such as a bright new home with a providing family who loves and cares for the abandoned animal, then the action is deemed right. If not, the action is deemed wrong. Does this mean that taking the appropriate steps to ensuring that your new companion animal has steps in place for emergencies, taking them to the shelter when no other viable option is available, and making sure they have a better home than what you can provide lets you off of the hook? I do not believe so. How does Deontology play a role in the decision making process? Deontology is a way of thinking that something is wrong just because that particular person believes that it is wrong. There is no grey area involved. To them, abandoning or rehoming an animal in any fashion is just plain wrong. Basically Utilitarianism is generally interest based and Deontology is generally rights based ("Animal Ethics 101", 2011). I am not downing those who take these steps to make sure that their four legged baby is not left in the streets to fend for themselves. I however, do feel that once you make that commitment to your animal you should keep it as if you would your own child. If someone lost their home they would not send their child to a shelter in the hopes that they would get adopted and not euthanized. That just is not even conceivable in someone’s mind. Therefore why does this apply to those babies with four legs instead of two? That is the question. According to "Utilitarianism" (),”The science of the Enlightenment featured theories with a very small number of general laws and vast explanatory power. Newton’s laws, for example, seemed able to account for all of the motion in the universe. Utilitarianism fit right in: it was an ethical theory compatible with science and featuring a single law of morality with great explanatory power. It was a sort of science of morality. The answer has everything to do with morals, and moral values. In conclusion, please take into consideration what exactly is involved and needed when an individual is considering adding a fur baby to their home. There are many questions that need to be answered. Nobody can tell what can happen in the future. Have a plan for your companion animal before taking them home. Contact an attorney to make legal arrangements for your beloved pet. Whether it be setting up a trust or a will, attorney help will be needed. Make sure you have someone who is ready, willing, and able to care for your pet in the event of your absence for the remainder of their life. Stay in contact with the person that was chosen to be essentially the “god parent”. Over time their lives may have changed along with their circumstances. Make sure they are willing to do this over time. Always remember that adding a four legged companion animal to your home is a lifelong commitment. Ask yourself this question. Are you an individual who lives by ethical egoism or by virtue ethics? Are you willing to do what is morally right for your new companion animal by getting them spayed or neutered and providing them with the necessary care they will need? A shelter should always be the very last resort in the event of an emergency. There should be a plan in place so that your companion animal does not end up homeless or at a shelter where they have a small percentage of being adopted out to a new family, and a large percentage that they will become euthanized. Make sure an individual becomes educated before the decision is made to adopt a companion. It is only fair to them that you do. Does Utilitarianism apply when you are abandoning a companion animal in the hopes it will be getting a batter home than what you can provide at that point in time? Does Deontology apply to this particular situation? Abandonment of companion animals is ethically and morally wrong. It is also illegal and comes with numerous consequences that include fines and imprisonment in all fifty states. Individuals need to become more educated on what it takes to be a good pet owner. Abandonment should never be the answer. The animal shelter should be the very last resort.

References
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