To the Editor:

Did you know ...that a homeless pet, cat or dog, is destroyed every 90 seconds across this country?

Animals in shelters are dependent upon folks deciding to adopt them if they are to survive. In 1984, around the time I started to volunteer in the Warwick Animal Shelter, there were no no-kill shelters and about 17 million cats and dogs were euthanized in shelters. Now, approximately 415,000 adoptable cats and dogs are put down every year. If only 6% of people who obtain a cat or dog next year would adopt from a shelter, instead of buying from breeders or pet stores, those 415,000 would be saved.

We'd like to think that there are no-kill animal shelters out there, but the current standard for this is that 90% of shelter animals are placed. Only four states have achieved this status - Vermont, New Hampshire, Delaware and now Rhode Island.

Though we can be proud that our Warwick Animal Shelter has met this standard, let's not forget that the significant work done by volunteers, the staff and director and city officials is what it requires to maintain these numbers.

Even so, up to 10% of animals can still be euthanized and that is still considered no-kill. (Data from Best Friends Animal Society).

So bottom line, please donate, volunteer and adopt from shelters and rescues!

Barbra Walsh

Warwick