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Maybe it is not possible to completely eradicate euthanasia on healthy animals in shelters, but certainly there are alternatives which can be implemented.
Spaying and Neutering
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Sterilization results in smaller dog populations – both in pet and stray dogs. Less dogs means less unwanted dogs in shelters. And the less unwanted dogs, the less euthanasia there is.
Pet dogs can only be sterilized with permission of the owner. Unfortunately many owners fail to realize the importance of spaying and neutering, and unwanted puppies result, adding to the animal shelter population.
Community education could play a big part in increasing dog sterilization rates.
Trap-Neuter-Release (TNR)
Stray populations can be controlled through trap-neuter-release (TNR) programs. This involves the capture of a stray animal, sterilization, and release back into the same area where the animal was captured.
Usually TNR is performed on stray cat populations, but similar programs for stray dogs have been implemented in countries such as India.
The implementation of TNR programs raises community awareness about spaying and neutering, as well as increases adoption rates. This helps reduce shelter intake, and ultimately, reduces euthanasia rates in traditional shelters.
TNR programs promote pet owner responsibility. Even when a program is meant to reduce stray cat populations, the shelter dog intake rates reduce, implying that pet owners are learning the importance of spaying and neutering their animals.
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Puppy Mills
Puppy mills are non-reputable dog breeders which produce large quantities of dogs to sell in pet stores.
In the U.S.A. in 2010, over $2.13 billion was spent on live animal sales. A third of U.S. pet stores were suspected to obtain their dogs for sale from puppy mills.
In 2011, California animal shelters alone spent over $245,177,000 on caring for and euthanizing unwanted cats and dogs.
It is ridiculous that so much money should be spent on producing large quantities of puppies, only to spend even more money when they are euthanized in traditional animal shelters because they are unwanted.
Stricter regulations on dog breeding could ensure that puppies are not born only to end up in animal shelters.
Ideally, people would choose to adopt from animal shelters, instead of purchasing dogs from puppy mills or pet stores.
Promoting Adoption
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Adoption is, of course, often the only method other than euthanasia by which animals are “released” from animal shelters.
Adoption shortens the length of stay at a shelter, and will eliminate the risk of euthanasia if the dog was at a traditional shelter.
Increasing community awareness about adoption and animal shelters, through advertising or TNR programs, could result in more dogs getting adopted.
Regional preferences for dog breeds should be taken into consideration by animal shelters. Urban environments may be more suitable for small dogs, and as a result, small breeds may have higher adoption rates in urban animal shelters.
A system of transferring dogs to other shelters after a certain length of stay would increase exposure of the dog to new potential adopters, especially considering regional preferences. A dog who might not be adopted from one shelter may have a better chance at adoption from a different shelter.
Transferring dogs to other shelters after a certain length of stay would be a good alternative to euthanasia.