Celebrating Shelter Pets

It’s Celebrate Shelter Pets Day, and we can’t think of a group of animals more worthy of celebrating, and understanding.

We all hear wonderful stories about amazing animals adopted from shelters who go on to give their guardians richer, happier lives. But for most shelter pets, the ending isn’t usually so happy. According to the ASPCA, 5 to 7 million companion animals enter shelters every year, and tragically, most of those don’t find their forever homes.

Millions of dogs are in shelters waiting for a forever home.

Around 60 percent of dogs and 70 percent of cats who enter shelters are euthanized. Most of them simply because there was no one to adopt them. Spaying and neutering is a huge part of the problem; only 10 percent of the animals received by shelters are spayed or neutered, compared to 75 percent of owned pets. According to the ASPCA, a fertile cat produces on average one to two litters of 4 to 6 kittens per year, and a fertile dog produces, on average, one litter a year of 4 to 6 puppies. Overpopulation of animals is a huge problem in this country, and our filled-to-capacity shelters are the result.

According to the National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy (NCPPSP) about 25 percent of dogs who enter shelters are purebred, which many find surprising. Animals are surrendered to shelters for any number of reasons, though. Some might have belonged to a recently deceased owner, others are animals that were adopted without proper breed research or forethought to ensure  they were a good match for the adopter’s lifestyle, and still others were strays found by animal control officers. According to the NCPPSP, most strays are simply lost pets who were not kept properly indoors or provided with adequate identification. The

About 20% of cats living in homes were strays.

number of lost pets who are returned to their owners is lower than you might think. Less than 2 percent of cats and only 15 to 20 percent of dogs are returned to their owners. Most of the ones who did find their way home were identified with tags, tattoos or microchips, so if you do nothing else today, make sure your pet is microchipped and is wearing updated tags.

Despite all the press animal shelters get, only 10 to 20 percent of cats and dogs in the nation are adopted from shelters and rescues. Most pets are obtained from acquaintances and family members, 15 to 20 percent are purchased from a breeder, and 2 to 10 percent are purchased from pet stores. All animals need love, attention, and proper care, so we salute all responsible pet owners out there, wherever they found their four-legged friends. But we also never want to forget all the animals still in the nation’s shelters and rescues, still looking for their forever homes.

Did you get your pet from a shelter? Do you volunteer at a shelter? Maybe you foster animals? We would LOVE to hear about your experiences.

This is the first ever Celebrate Shelter Pets Day, and it’s sponsored by The Shelter Pet Project, a joint venture between The Humane Society of the United States, Maddie’s Fund, and The Ad Council.