Save the Shelter

Topic Sentence:
Opinion The city animal shelter needs more support from all of us to continue helping animals and our community. Our shelter is the only one in the tri-county area that does not euthanize animals, but instead seeks homes for them. Body Sentences That makes it a critical resource for thousands of people. Local citizens adopt dozens of animals each week, giving them new starts on life. Each adopted animal is neutered or spayed so that it does not add to the problem of stray dogs and cats. The shelter also employs 15 full-time workers, giving them not just a paycheck but also an important mission to help our furry friends. Ending Sentences So, support the animal shelter through donations of food and cash as well as by speaking to your city council representatives. Together, we can help animals and enrich our own lives.

Support Our Animal Shelter

Imagine that you are lost. You don't know where you are or how to get home, and you can't ask anybody because you can't talk. You are probably hungry and thirsty, and your feet are really tired. If that sounds scary, think about how a stray dog or cat must feel. Dozens of cats and dogs get lost in our city every day. They wander helplessly through the streets looking for home. If they are lucky, they find their way home. They are also lucky if someone finds them and takes them to the local animal shelter. The shelter in our city is the largest in the country, and it keeps every animal until someone takes it home. Lately, though, the shelter has been unable to raise the funds it needs to stay open. Our city can't afford to lose the service this shelter provides. Opinion Statement Everyone—even people without pets—should support the shelter in every way possible.

The most important reason the shelter needs to stay open is that it takes care of hundreds of lost and sick animals. As many as 10 animals show up every week at the shelter. The shelter presently has 52 dogs and 31 cats as well as some other animals. These animals would have no place to go if the shelter were not open. They would wander in the streets, at risk of getting hit by cars. Life at the shelter is so much better for the animals as they wait for owners to claim them or others to adopt them. And any animal that is adopted is spayed or neutered so that it does not add to the number of strays.

In addition, the shelter is important to the people of our city, too—not just the animals. Every day, people at the shelter feed and clean up after the animals. Shelter workers also walk and groom the dogs. The shelter provides jobs for 15 people. People really love working there. Janice Pao has worked there for five years. She loves taking care of the animals and has brought home a few to live with her.

The final reason we need to keep the shelter open is that it is a good reflection on our city. The fact that we can maintain a first-rate shelter shows that the people of our city care about animals. It gives us a good reputation. It makes people want to live here, especially if they have come to adopt a lifelong friend from our shelter.

Some people argue that the shelter could save a lot of money if it euthanized unwanted animals. That may be true, but already three other shelters do so in the tri-county area. Ours is the only one that does not. Sometimes people moving into nursing homes or moving to other countries have to give up pets that they have loved for years. Knowing they can take them to a shelter that will find them new homes helps these people and their animals during this rough transition. We should not allow such an important community resource to wither away for lack of funding.

In conclusion, we need to keep the city animal shelter open and running as long as there are animals who need it. In an ideal world, no pet would ever stray from home. But because animals need our help, we should provide it. Help the shelter stay in business by donating needed supplies such as dog and cat food, kitty litter, chew toys, paper towels, and plastic garbage bags. Cash donations help, as well. But also we need to support the shelter by speaking with our city council members and showing them the shelter is a priority for us. Animals can't always take care of themselves, so let's help them as much as we can.