Having a pet at home implies a series of responsibilities that many do not overlook, which has the consequence that thousands of animals are found in the different shelters in the United States waiting for someone to create a strong bond with them and take them with them. to their homes.
Unfortunately, not all shelter animals are lucky, and proof of this is a recently released report from the Best Friends Animal Society, a leading animal welfare organization working to end the culling of dogs and cats in shelters by the year 2025, where it was highlighted how it is that in 2022 there was a considerable increase in terms of animals slaughtered and the shelters considered as “No-Kill” in the United States reached all-time highs.
According to this organization, around 31,500 pets are euthanized each month in US animal shelters, which gives us an average of 1,035 deaths, both cats and dogs, per day.
With these figures, it was concluded that just last year, around 378,000 pets taken in by shelters across the country had to be euthanized, mainly due to excess animals and a decline in adoptions. In addition, shelters “No-Kill” registered a historical increase of 57% in its capacity, which represents a 24% increase since 2016.
“We are at a tipping point of taking the country to ‘No-Kill.’ The number of shelters that are “No-Kill” shows that it is possible to save all the healthy pets in a shelter. 93% of shelters that did not euthanize pets in 2021 were able to maintain this status the following year,” said Julie Castle, CEO of Best Friends Animal Society.
Other data on adoption and sacrifice of pets in shelters in the US.
*Although there has been a 60% increase in pet adoption, only 1% came from shelters.
* The data also revealed that dogs purchased from breeders and pet stores have increased steadily in recent years.
* Dog adoptions stalled at just under 1 million last year, while intake increased to roughly 100,000 pets (most of which were stray dogs).
* The number of pets entering shelters nationwide was 4.4 million.
*Although dogs and cats entered shelters at similar rates, cats made up 55% of cullings, while dogs 45%.
* 5 states account for 54% of the total number of pets euthanized in 2022 (Texas, California, North Carolina, Florida, and Georgia).
Keep reading:
* Learn about the most popular names for dogs in New York. What is your pet’s?
* What diseases pets can transmit to you and 5 tips to avoid them
* Inflation: Humane Society of the USA launches campaign to address poverty that is affecting pets