The State of Animal Welfare

With the new year here I thought it would be a good idea to look at some animal welfare statistics for the United States. In my next Canine Corner let’s take a look at animal welfare locally. There maybe some things that will surprise you!

The most current national stats I could find were put together by Best Friends Animal Society and concluded with the year 2022. So hear goes:

*National shelter intake in our country has increased since historic lows in 2020 but remains below pre-pandemic levels.

*More than 2/3 of US households share their homes with cats and dogs.

*81% of the 4.4 million cats and dogs that entered US shelters were saved in 2022. Sadly, 378,000 cats and dogs needlessly died.

*Five states account for half of all cats and dogs killed in the US: Calif., Texas, North Carolina, Florida and Alabama.

*The 2022 intake increase was driven by dogs, specifically strays which made up 54% of dog intake. Owner surrenders were not responsible for increase intake.

*The percent of US shelters that are known to be no-kill has more than doubled in the past seven years, from 22% in 2016 to 57% in 2022. Roughly 43% of counties in the US are no-kill. Those shelters that were already no-kill in 2021 overwhelmingly sustained that status in 2022.

*85% of adults surveyed say they have at least heard the term no-kill.

*85% of adults feel it is very important or essential to have no-kill shelters in their area.

*45% of adults were not sure if shelters in their local area are no-kill.

*57% of adults would sign a petition to require no-kill shelters in their area.

*A 90% save rate for the animals entering a shelter is the common sense benchmark for measuring no-kill. Learn what no-kill means.

* The barriers to pet adoptions people feel are: cost, communication, requirements, rejection, wait, breed and location.

*Pets are relinquished to shelters for reasons related to the owner’s circumstances at roughly a ratio of 3-1 as compared to reasons specific to the animal.

*Top reasons cats and dogs are surrendered: owners have too many animals, housing, caretaker or family health/death, non-aggressive behavior/personality and financial.

*84% of Americans believe that federal, state or local government should not tell citizens what breeds of dog they cannot own.

There are many more stats that Best Friends put together but I think this gives you a pretty good idea of what direction animal welfare is headed in this country and how Americans feel about animals. You can and do make a difference for dogs and cats in your own community and nationwide, no matter where you live.

Support- Advocate for pet-friendly laws and ordinances and make sure that your voice is heard when it comes to abuse, neglect and abandonment issues facing the pets in our community.

Foster– This plays a critical role in preparing dogs for successful adoptions and helps rescues manage their population more effectively.

Volunteer– You can make a real difference in the lives of homeless pets, meet others who also love animals, and have fun!!

Gail Moscato

Founder

Positive Paws BHC