Responsible Acquisition and Care

Adopt, Don’t Shop

When acquiring a pet, consider the source, and opt for adoption (“Adopt, Don’t Shop”). Puppy mills and kitten mills churn out expensive purebreds while keeping their breeding animals confined in squalid conditions. They are also places where profits take precedence over animal welfare. Meanwhile, shelters and communities are overrun with homeless dogs and cats who deserve a good home. 

Birds are another popular pet, but the bird trade is poorly regulated—allowing for continued extraction from the wild—at a heavy cost to wild populations—and the prevalence of mass-breeding facilities that often house birds under cruel conditions, depriving them of enrichment and proper social interaction. Rather than purchasing a bird from a pet store or private breeder, see if your local animal shelter or bird rescue has birds who need to be adopted. First make sure that you are equipped to meet the particular needs of a bird, some of whom can have very long lifespans.

Make Sure You Can Care for the Animals You Acquire

Private homes are ill-equipped to meet the instinctual needs of wild animals. The allure of exotic pets such as primates or big cats may be tempting, but even if bred in captivity, these animals are still wild in nature—and wild nature is where they belong. When kept as pets, the needs of these animals go unmet, and as they go from cute babies to full-grown (and potentially unmanageable) adults, many end up locked away in cages. After suffering years of such neglect, a fortunate few may end up in sanctuaries and have a better life. Overall, the trade in wild animals, be it for pets or otherwise, is notorious for its cruelty and negative effects on vulnerable species. 

Whatever the species, it is important to attend to companion animal needs—in the community, in the home, and when we are away. And when emergencies or natural disasters strike, most families will not want to leave their companion animals behind and unprotected. It is therefore important to take pets into account as part of the family’s emergency preparedness planning.

Protecting Pets from Family Violence 

Pets not only provide love and affection—they also help keep us well. Recent studies have linked pet ownership to lower blood pressure, reduced stress, less incidence of heart disease, and lower overall health care costs. In short, companion animals make us happier and healthier. So, it is only fair to keep them safe, healthy, and happy too. 

In most cases, companion animals are cherished members of the family. However, there are situations in which pets are at risk or mistreated, and the link between pet abuse and interpersonal violence has been well documented over the last 30 years. One way AWI is bringing awareness to the relationship between human and animal welfare is through its Safe Havens for Pets project. The searchable Safe Havens for Pets directory lists sheltering services for pets of those experiencing interpersonal violence or homelessness and provides resources for professionals who are dedicated to protecting people and their pets. 

Air Travel Safety for Pets 

We have to plan for the care of companion animals when we travel—whether they stay behind with a pet sitter or come along— and there are particular issues to be aware of when taking pets on planes. 

Not long ago, when a companion animal was lost, injured, or died during air travel, it was merely noted in the airlines’ “mishandled baggage” report filed with the Department of Transportation—if it was acknowledged at all. Now, airlines must report deaths, injuries, and losses involving not just companion animals owned by families within the United States, but also dogs and cats in commercial shipments. A review of the incidents documented since airlines began filing these mandatory reports reveals that dogs and cats have been left sitting on the tarmac for hours and even days. Their carriers have been dropped and run over by forklifts. Animals have been abandoned in dangerous cargo areas, put on the wrong flight or no flight at all, or escaped—never to be seen again.  

We strongly advise against flying with your dog or cat on a passenger airline unless he/she is small enough to be placed under your seat in a carrier. If that is not an option, consider other alternatives, such as professional pet movers, or Pet Airways, an airline that flies companion animals in planes retrofitted specifically for them. There is also Operation Roger, a service through which truckers help transport pets from shelters to new homes, or help families reconnect with companion animals they had to leave behind. 

Traps and Companion Animals 

Over 70 countries around the globe have banned steel-jaw leghold traps, which inflict terrible suffering on their victims. Unfortunately, the United States isn’t one of them. For years, AWI has campaigned vigorously against cruel and indiscriminate trapping in this country and abroad. 

To make matters worse, these traps—as well as other body-gripping traps—also pose grave danger to companion animals, particularly when they are hidden along wildlife trails used by people and their pets.  

If a dog or cat should have the misfortune to step on the pan of a trap and trigger it, the trap’s jaws slam violently on the poor animal’s foot or leg and hold it in a vice-like grip. The pain is intense, causing the animal to struggle frantically to break free. Injuries can include torn or severed tendons and ligaments, joint dislocation, lacerations, and broken bones. If circulation is restricted or cut off to the trapped limb, gangrene can set in quickly. Some animals bite at the traps, trying to get away—even gnawing their teeth down to the jawbone. Still others are known to chew their own trapped limbs off to escape. 

In their frenzy, a trapped dog or cat may bite a family member or other individual attempting to free them. Any animal freed from a trap should be rushed immediately to a veterinarian for treatment. It is critical to look for gangrene, which may necessitate amputation of the injured limb because of necrosis.