Editorial: Let’s stop killing animals in shelters and get more of them adopted out

Life in an animal shelter for dogs and cats and other creatures that have the misfortune to end up there is never great. They can languish for months, waiting to be adopted out to what animal advocates hope will be a “forever home.” Or worse, they can end up killed — or as shelter officials prefer to call it, “euthanized.” Los Angeles Animal Services, the city department that runs six shelters, has grappled over the years with high intake of stray animals and lost pets as it also has publicized the need for spaying and neutering pets and provided owners with some financial assistance for those procedures. The department needs staff who can counsel prospective adopters, instead of the current situation: “When someone comes into the shelter, they are told ‘dogs this way, cats that way,’” says Brittany Thorn, executive director of Best Friends L.A. For example, shelters have a lot of large dogs that are harder to adopt out. Large dogs vary in personality and can fit with different people’s lifestyles, if shelters have enough staff to get to know the animals and make recommendations. Animal Services can help by getting animals out of the shelters more often and into adoption events in communities where people can meet the dogs and cats.