Don't blame the shelters--they're overstuffed, understaffed, and underfunded. It's the fault of anyone who does not spay or neuter their pets. Someone here just dumped a hound mix with eight puppies because he didn't want to deal with her. She got caught in a coyote trap and the humane society is trying to raise funds to have her leg repaired and have her spayed, heartworm treated, shots for the pups, etc. SOB should have gotten her spayed a long time ago if he didn't want pups (and, as a mutt, she ought to have been spayed anyway). Sorry--I used to do animal rescue and I've about had it with people who do not take responsibility for their animals.

I don't like the idea of euthanizing homeless animals but if you've ever dealt with animals who have spent their lives in shelters, no-kill is not necessarily a humane option, either. If there were family-style foster homes for all of them, it would be one thing, but animals that spend their lives in institutional settings are often not healthy psychologically and can be very hard to socialize and rehabilitate. And the fact that they are so fearful makes them a safety hazard because they are more likely to bite. Pretty much the only solution is to get a handle on the pet population.