We all remember celebrities such as Bob Barker or Drew Carey signing off on the television show The Price is Right asking all viewers to spay and neuter your pets to help control animal population. This is not just some tag line used to wrap up a game show, overpopulation of pets in East Texas is a very serious issue and one that we all need to address immediately. 

It seems like every time you get on social media there is a post from Jacksonville, Lindale, Kilgore, or Longview about pets who have been abandoned by their owners. Having 2 rescue dogs of my own (Cooper and Gypsy) I didn’t understand why these pet owners wouldn’t surrender these pets to animal organizations but many of them cannot take in more animals right now. 

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The Pet Overpopulation Problem Is Bigger Than It’s Ever Been in East Texas 

There are multiple factors that are causing this heartbreaking issue. First, there were many people that got pets during the pandemic and now they have less time to be at home with them so they just are now thought of as a chore instead of a furry family member. Another problem is many pets don’t get spayed or neutered and then they have babies that their owner cannot take care of. Lastly, families are cutting costs due to inflation and pets become the expense that gets cut leaving an animal without a home. 

We Have to Make the Change Ourselves Regarding Pet Overpopulation in East Texas 

From reading comments online, I know that I am not the only person who is sick of animals being abandoned by their owners. But to expect someone is just going to come in and rescue all the animals is a dream, it’s not going to happen. The only way to combat this issue is to spay and neuter your pets to make sure we aren’t adding to the problem.  

The sad reality is there are pets being put down every week in cities and towns across East Texas. If you don’t want this to continue it’s time to take action now. Please, spay or neuter your pets. If you can’t afford it reach out to a local vet and they will most likely work with you on a payment plan for the procedure. Doing nothing is not an option. 

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