Amelioration of Pet Overpopulation and Abandonment Using Control of Breeding and Sale, and Compulsory Owner Liability Insurance

Abstract

Overpopulation and abandonment of pets are long-standing and burgeoning concerns that involve uncontrolled breeding and selling, illegal trafficking, overpopulation, and pet safety and well-being issues. Abandonment of pets creates numerous negative externalities and multimillion-dollar costs, in addition to severe consequences and problems concerning animal welfare (e.g., starvation, untreated disease, climatic extremes, uncertainty of rescue and adoption), ecological (e.g., invasive species and introduction of novel pathogens), public health and safety (e.g., risks to people from bites, zoonoses, or road hazards), and economic (e.g., financial burdens for governmental and nongovernmental organizations). These interwoven problems persist for several reasons, including the following: (1) lack of an efficient system for the prevention of abandonment and overpopulation, (2) lack of regulatory liability for pet owners, (3) lack of legal alternative to abandonment. This article proposes a novel comprehensive management system for amelioration of overpopulation and abandonment of pets aimed to tackle the current supply and demand dysfunction of the pet market and provide a legal alternative to abandonment.

Identifying potential emerging invasive non‐native species from the freshwater pet trade

“…Some reasons also hint at an inherent incompatibility of aquarium ownership with 21st century city life, with moving house and a lack of time two commonly offered excuses (note that more ambiguous reasons like aquarium dissolution and downsizing were prevalent and may be linked). This, in combination with a large number of the reasons hinting at insufficient research being done prior to purchase, may indicate that unwanted pets will remain a problem without owner suitability checks (Perdomo et al, 2021).…”

“…The reactive, rather than proactive, nature of pet trade legislation (and animal importation more broadly: Simberloff, 2006) has been highlighted as a problem, and issues surround enforcement, often leading to ‘dead letters’ (Patoka et al, 2018). While pet abandonment is a criminal offence in many countries, the covert nature of releases makes prosecution difficult (Maceda‐Veiga et al, 2019; Perdomo et al, 2021). Perdomo et al (2021) suggest a lack of external controls and verifications facilitate impulsive pet acquisitions, and call for owner suitability accreditation.…”

“…While pet abandonment is a criminal offence in many countries, the covert nature of releases makes prosecution difficult (Maceda‐Veiga et al, 2019; Perdomo et al, 2021). Perdomo et al (2021) suggest a lack of external controls and verifications facilitate impulsive pet acquisitions, and call for owner suitability accreditation. Furthermore, they propose that compulsory health and survival insurance could benefit owners and pet welfare, while providing financial support for approved shelters.…”

The effect of neuter status on longevity in the Rottweiler dog

“…Pet overpopulation places a significant burden on government and non-government agencies seeking to manage these animals within acceptable animal welfare frameworks. Left unchecked, free-roaming pets pose risks to public health and safety and the state of natural ecosystems 1 . On an individual level, sterilization prevents sexual behaviors as well as roaming in the male dog and physical signs of oestrus (heat) in the female.…”

Catalysis-Mediated Male Contraception through Black Phosphorus Nanosheets

“…The uncontrollable reproduction of pets is one of the main reasons for pet abandonment. – Once the population of pets exceeds the affordability of the pet owners over food, space, and hygiene, they will end up on the street . These homeless pets then become a potential threat to public safety and health, as evidenced by countless incidents of injury and disease spread. – Even worse, the lack of natural predators in the wild makes it harder to limit the number of abandoned animals, which induces a vicious circle for population growth and greatly oppresses the regional ecological balance .…”