Everyone is crowded and then some

Over and over again, the message is the same. Spay and neuter your pets. Don't buy from pet stores. Find alternative solutions if you find you must move. Don't just turn your pet in to a rescue or even worse, turn it loose to fend for itself.

I am, of course, preaching to the choir for most of my readers are already animal lovers and know these most basic steps.

Right now, in the Sarasota area, all the shelters and rescues are bursting at the seams with animals. I mean literally bursting. We have dogs and cats who have been in shelter for months and now we have an influx of even more animals coming through the door.

A friend who was over last night brought up a good point. She said she was simply tired. It seems the same people help, over and over again and there is no break in the action. We keep promoting these animals. The photos and descriptions travel through cyberspace to every state in the union, most who are going through the same problems we are. Animals are up and adoptions are down.

Education is still the key to these kinds of problems. The issues are we, along with everyone else, have lost funds, either through grants or donors, to continue speaking at functions or printing literature to keep up an influx of material.

Repetition is the key so we cannot give up. We must keep posting and sharing. We must continue to volunteer. We must speak up about spaying and neutering but along with all of these things, we have to keep our calm. Becoming angry with people who are uneducated or who seem to not care, can be taught the importance of all animals and what happens when they aren't cared for.

We must continue to fight the good fight so ask your friends and family to adopt from shelters and have their personal pets spayed and neutered. It is the only way we will continue to get our message across without seeming like zealots.