The saga of an American Crow, part two

Kizzy, our foster American Crow caged for 20-plus years, was safely relocated to Best Friends wild animal sanctuary in Kanab, Utah.

He will initially be housed next to another crow, a young girl named Kazoo, who also can’t fly. Eventually, they’ll share their own space and then possibly join the other crows at the sanctuary. Kizzy essentially went from solitude at the Hilton Crown Plaza to a cabin in the woods with some friends.

The trip from Houston was surprisingly uneventful. Everything went as planned. No one asked to see the stack of documents that was prepared for Kizzy: the USFW permits, the USDA clearances, the authorization letters. All in triplicate.

The most harrowing part of the journey was the three-hour nighttime drive on I15 from Las Vegas to St. George in near total darkness, and then another hour and half on the desolate road on to Kanab that takes a detour back through Arizona.

Kizzy spent the night with his human companions at the Best Friends' Roadhouse Hotel before going to the sanctuary the next morning.

Best Friends is a nationwide no-kill animal rescue and adoption organization. The facility and sanctuary just outside of Kanab, Utah spans some 6,000 acres and includes areas for dogs, cat, pigs, horses, rabbits, parrots and a rehabilitation center and sanctuary for wildlife (where Kizzy is). Check out their website: https://bestfriends.org/ and their founder’s story at https://bestfriends.org/history-best-friends.

Best Friends Kanab facility is located in some of the most rugged and scenic parts of the US, and is truly a resort destination with a hotel, restaurant, tours, and hiking trails. I expect we’ll be going back to check on Kizzy from time to time.

As I mentioned above, Best Friends is a no-kill rescue animal rescue organization with the optimistic goal of making every shelter and every community no-kill by 2025.

There’s no mandated or central data collection to verify the actual numbers, but the Humane Society of America estimates that there are about 70 million stray dogs and cats in the US, and in 2022 somewhere between 5 and 7 million animals were surrendered to the roughly 3,500 shelters nationwide. Some animals are returned to their owners, and about half are adopted and find new homes. The rest are euthanized, essentially to make space for new surrenders and strays.

During my short time volunteering at a local shelter, I witnessed some 400 dogs and cats being surrendered and maybe 40 adopted in a typical week. Euthanasia was a full-time job.

The numbers are staggering and depressing, even if you’re not an animal lover.

It doesn’t have to be this way. We should treat our “best friends” better than this. This is what we should be doing:

Spay and neuter your pets. Animals adopted from shelters are required to be spayed or neutered. This also helps alleviate some behavior issues and prevents some cancers. The theory that it’s necessary for the health of a dog to have at least one litter is a myth and simply ignorant. It perpetuates the problem. Fixing your dog or cat will also save you the cost of unnecessary vet services, extra food, etc.

The most impactful thing you can do to help with pet overpopulation is to donate to a local spay and neuter clinic like SNAP (https://snapus.org ) or Emancipet (https://emancipet.org ).

Adopt and only adopt older animals. There are millions of dogs and cats to choose from of every breed. But consider that every puppy or kitten adopted seals the fate of two or three older dogs or cats. This may be a harsh approach for dealing with the problem, but encouraging the adoption of puppies and kittens just perpetuates the problem of unwanted animals further. At the very least, there should be a very high premium for getting a puppy. And spoiler alert: they don’t stay that cute for very long.

Never buy a dog from a pet store, from someone on Facebook Marketplace, or from a box on a street corner. If you need a hunting dog or a herding dog for your farm, only buy from a verified and reputable breeder.

Never, never, never, never give a dog, cat, or any animal, as a gift. A dog is a 10-year-plus commitment, and cats can live 15 years or more. It’s a serious commitment and expense that should not be taken lightly, let alone gifted on someone.

With Kizzy now gone, we can start renovating the front room. We just need to find a home for the rabbit that just moved in there.