Would you kill these boys?

They were on death row. Set to be killed in the Seguin, Texas Animal Control.

Neither had committed a crime. They were your basic good guys just caught at the wrong place at the wrong time.

That's what we humans do to dogs and cats we consider "surplus." We kill them to make room in government shelters for more dogs and cats who will be killed.

It makes no sense of course. It's not just Seguin, it's every municipality in Texas where people are struggling with many dogs and cats on the streets.

These two guys were saved by us because a Good Samaritan in Guadalupe County heard about their plight and emailed the world to find a shelter or rescue group that would take them. We named them Montana and Wyoming.

The sad fact is, if you're a pure bred or pure bred look-a-like the odds are you'll be saved. If you're a mix -- which most dogs on our streets are -- odds are you die.

Can we stop the killing for the vast majority of dogs and cats in shelters? Yes. But it will take a commitment that few communities or shelter operators are prepared to make. And it's not just government shelters that are killing "surplus" dogs and cats. Some so called humane society shelters kill too. It's their dirty little secret. But they kill. And until they stop the killing it is unlikely that government shelters will stop as well.

More spay/neuters is part of the solution. Greater responsibility on the part of humans to keep their companion animals for as long as they live is also critical to stopping the killing. And increased adoptions from shelters is also vital.

Montana and Wyoming have a new lease on life. But in San Antonio this week nearly 1,000 dogs and cats will be killed at the city pound. I think about that a lot.

(c) Ron Aaron 2008