Adoptable Pets Should Never Be Euthanized

Andrea was a cat at a Utah animal shelter who, after 30 days of not being adopted, was supposed to be euthanized in a gas chamber. But after not one but two rounds in the chamber, Andrea survived. This cat who refused to die was adopted an now lives happily with her new family.

Animals like Andrea don't deserve to be euthanized. She wasn't sick or overly aggressive -- she was simply the victim of overcrowded shelter conditions, and wasn't lucky enough to be adopted within a short time period.

Thanks to higher rates of spaying and neutering, the number of animals euthanized each year has dropped from 20 million in 1970 to 4 million in 2011. That number is an all time low -- but for the millions of dogs and cats in U.S. shelters, it's still much too high.

Pledge to support a revolution in the way we handle animals in shelters: Support spay and neuter programs and always adopt companion animals instead of buying from breeders or pet stores, then tell everyone you know.