Charleston, SC, April 14, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — For many, pets are family. They are celebrated on social media, spoiled with toys, and mourned deeply when they die. Yet every year, millions of cats and dogs are abandoned, surrendered, neglected, abused and killed.
In her new book, Disposable Lives, The Animal Crisis Paradox, author Marci Elliott confronts this uncomfortable truth head-on. She examines how easily their lives are discarded when they become inconvenient, expensive, old, or unwanted.
Drawing from decades of experience as a psychotherapist, former television journalist, and hands-on rescuer, Elliott weaves personal stories with hard data to reveal how overbreeding, irresponsible ownership, weak laws, and systemic failures have normalized mass animal death. She challenges readers to stop looking away –and to recognize that this crisis is not caused by animals but by human choices.
Disposable Lives is both an indictment and a call to action. Elliott outlines realistic, attainable solutions — including spay and neuter initiatives, ethical breeding standards, stronger shelter accountability, and public education — while empowering everyday people to take responsibility through adoption, advocacy, and informed decision-making.
Following her TEDx Talk ‘The Perilous Life and Death of Pets,’ viewed by millions, Elliott is part of a growing movement of advocates challenging how America treats its animals. With Disposable Lives, she aims to elevate the conversation –and the responsibility –to a national level because if we truly love animals, their lives should never be disposable.
Disposable Lives: The Animal Crisis Paradox is available for purchase online at Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com. For more information about the author, please visit any of her social media platforms.
YouTube: @advocatingforanimals
Instagram: @marciadvocate
TikTok: marcielliott
Linkedin: Marci Elliott
Facebook: Marci Elliott
Website: www.marcielliott.com
TEDx: ‘The Perilous Life and Death of Pets (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=It4njTQy4vk)
About the Author:
Marci Elliott is a licensed psychotherapist, former television journalist, and lifelong animal advocate. Through story-telling, education, and public engagement, she challenges society to confront the systems – and personal behaviors – that put millions of animals at risk each year. Her TEDx talk, ‘The Perilous Life and Death of Pets,‘ continues to receive millions of views. More of her advocacy work can be found on her YouTube channel Advocating for Animals.
Media Contact:
Marci Elliott, [email protected]
Available for interviews: Author, Marci Elliott
- Disposable Lives: The Animal Crisis Paradox