Quote Originally Posted by applesmom
(Playing devils advocate) Are the shelters really saving lives by taking in unwanted newborn puppies, raising them and adopting them out? There's no argument that they are saving the lifes of those particular puppies.

But at the same time aren't they contributing to the deaths of the dogs already existing in the shelters?

The estimates are that 5 to 9 million unwanted dogs are put to death every year in the united states. How many football stadiums stacked to the roof would those lifeless bodies fill? The majority of these dogs are 6 months and over. The big question is: if so many puppies weren't taken in and made available would these "older" dogs have a better chance of being saved by adoption?

Which is the lessor of two evils? Euthanizing newborn puppies who have never experienced life and love, or euthanizing adult dogs who through no fault of their own have been abandondened by their owners?

The answer of course is that neither solution is satisfactory. There has to be a better way!

that's almost sick! yes, a lot of adult dogs do get PTS every year by shelters. so do puppies. just because the puppy has not had the chance at a life doesn't mean it is "less" than the adult dogs. shelters give the adoptee plenty of choices to find the right dog. homeless puppies should be treated the same as homeless dogs.