Ideally, every dog or cat would have a home and live healthy, happy and free.

The reality is that animals are abandoned by irresponsible people every day, and rather than roaming the streets in hordes they are captured and removed from society.

While it's true some animals in the pound are lucky enough to find a more hospitable home, some will always be left unwanted - no matter how hard animal control centers search for new families.

Two options exist for the fraction of misplaced pets that will always be with us - death in vain or benefit to human and animal-kind through research.

While to some the conflict over whether to use animals for research at all might rank up there in importance with the conflict on stem cell research, to most, the problem is more benign.

The difference with conflict over "Class B" animal dealers buying from the Ingham County Animal Control Shelter is when concerned citizens brought the issue up to their local government, the government listened, taking them seriously.

The government response is admirable, since other local governments might not have given the issue the time of day - local animal rights activists did make some difference.

The victory and strategy, however, were incomplete, since "Class B" and "Class A" dealers are still present in Michigan and are unlikely to ever fully be removed.

As long as animals are treated ethically, properly cared for and respected during research, then their sacrifice in the name of science will not be in vain. With the research directed at bettering veterinary medicine, there is no reason research should cease.

More productive solutions to the problem should be offered, instead of merely demanding that all animals somehow miraculously find homes. Given the state of things, blameless though the animal may be, the ideal cannot and likely will not ever happen.