ANIMAL WELFARE IN U.S.

Animal shelters nationwide take in as many as 6.3 million cats and dogs annually, housing them in over 3,500 different facilities.  All information provided by https://spots.com/animal-shelter-statistics/

• Up to 58.7% of shelter animals are adopted. 
• As many as 10.8% of shelter animals are reunited with owners. 
• Animal rights groups claim 40% of shelter animals are ultimately euthanized. Shelters report at least 16.7% of euthanized animals are no more than 5 months old. 
• Roughly 30% of shelter animals are relinquished by an owner, a 10% increase from 2020.
• Nationwide only 10% of shelter animals are reunited with an owner.  
• 60% of shelter animals are adopted. 45% of adopted animals are dogs and 54% are cats.  
• Almost 10% of animals are reported to be euthanized. 

One out of every three family pets gets lost at some point in their lifetime. Lost pet numbers are estimates based on certain clues, such as whether a pet has been sterilized or shows evidence of human care.  

• Among shelter animals reunited with an owner, 87.0% are dogs and 13.0% are cats. 
• 10% of animals entering shelters are spayed or neutered. 
• 20% of animals adopted from shelters are returned again. 
• Pets outnumber shelter animals 100-to-1. 31% of pet cats, or about 26.5 million, were adopted from a shelter. 23% of pet dogs, or about 17.9 million, were adopted from a shelter. 
• Sadly though 42% of non-pet owners who express interest in getting a companion animal say they would not consider adopting from a shelter. 
• Cat owners are 40% more likely to adopt their pet from a shelter than dog owners. 
• 36% of Americans who choose to re-home their dog take it to a shelter. Roughly 10% of owners who relinquish pets do so intending to have the animal euthanized.

The number of animals entering shelters has decreased in recent decades. While some of the decrease may be due to budget cuts, experts mainly credit public opinion and improved practices, such as population control through sterilization. 

• 45.5% of euthanized and deceased animals are dogs; 54.5% are cats. 
• Sadly at least 16.7% of euthanized animals are no more than 5 months old. Of those euthanized, 19.4% are of unknown age. 
• 20.8% of shelter animals face some other outcome. They may have been transferred, lost and recaptured, neuter-and-release feral cats, etc. 
• 18 months is the average age of animals entering shelters. 
• Almost 50% of shelter intakes are strays or otherwise at-large animals that have been captured. 
• Roughly 26% of shelter intakes are pets relinquished by owners.

In the last 50 years, animal shelters across the U.S. have diminished their intake numbers. Some of the decrease may be due to budget cuts. Experts, however, mainly credit reformed public opinion about stray animals and adoptions as well as improved practices, such as population control through sterilization.  

• Shelter intake declined roughly 20% from 2019 to 2020. 
• Adoption rates increased 8% in 2020. 
• The rate of owner-relinquished intakes increased around 10% from 2020 to 2021. 
• Owner relinquishment rates barely declined 0.1% from 2019 to 2020. 
• The rate of strays entering shelters declined 6% from 2019 to 2020. 
• In 1973, shelters took in over 20 million dogs and cats. 
• At that time, it wasn’t uncommon for 90% of shelter animals to be euthanized. 
• By 2020, shelter intake nationwide was down 68%. 
• In the last decade, the number of animals entering shelters has declined by at least 10%.

Pet cats are more likely than pet dogs to spend time outside alone, and they are much less likely to be reunited with owners.  

• Between 1.7 million and 3.2 million cats live in shelters nationwide. 
• For every cat in a shelter, there are as many as 50 pet cats. 
• Shelters take in up to 130% more cats during warmer months than they do in the dead of winter. 
• More cats enter shelters as strays than any other animal. 
• Some shelters report euthanizing up to 70% of cats. 2-5% of shelter cats are reunited with an owner. 
• Cats outnumber dogs in many shelters, sometimes by as much as 3-to-1. 
• Roughly 20% of people say shelter cats are less adoptable than shelter dogs.

Statistics About Dogs in Shelters The number of dogs entering shelters is declining at a faster rate than it is for cats, though dog owners are less likely to get their animal from a shelter than cat owners. Smaller dogs are typically adopted quicker than and have shorter shelter stays than larger dogs.  

• Nationwide, there are between 1.6 million and 3.3 million shelter dogs. 
• For every dog in a shelter, there are 26 pet dogs. 
• 48% of shelter dogs are adopted. 
• 22% of shelter dogs are euthanized. 
• 15-20% of shelter dogs are reunited. 
• 25% of dogs in shelters are purebred. 
• 4 of the 10 most popular dog breeds are most commonly found in shelters. 
• Toy breeds are most likely to be adopted at a rate of 73%. 
• Herding dogs are least likely to be adopted at a rate of 48.7% 
• A shelter dog spends an average of 35 days waiting to be adopted. 
• “Black Dog Syndrome” refers to the phenomenon that – according to some studies – animals with dark fur are less likely to be adopted than animals with light fur.

Euthanasia in Shelters The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) specifies that euthanasia must be painless. Most states have laws regulating the administration and methods of animal euthanasia.  

• As recently as 2019, 25% of shelter animals were confirmed euthanized. 
• 35 states have laws about how long a shelter must hold an animal before authorizing euthanasia. 
• In states with holding laws, the minimums range from 48 hours to 10 days. 
• 5 states are responsible for half of all euthanized shelter animals. 
• Animal rights groups estimate that 99% of euthanized and deceased animals are adoptable. 
• As many as 57% of euthanized and deceased animals are unweaned kittens. Since 2011, euthanizations in shelters are down roughly 42%. 
•  Shelters that sterilize prior to release reduce intake by 10% over five years.
•  Almost 90% of people surveyed believe euthanasia rates are less than half of what they actually are. 
• Up to 10% of animals in no-kill shelters are euthanized due to health or behavioral reasons.

Baby animals are common in shelters, where they are especially vulnerable. Proximity to other animals spreads infectious and viral diseases, and the extra attention and care that all babies require is often unavailable for lack of resources or knowledge.  

• 46.7% of shelter cats are kittens (a further 11.7% are of indeterminate age). 
• Kittens are 33% more likely to be adopted than adult cats. 
• July through December is “kitten season” in most shelters. 
• Kittens require bottle feedings every two hours and round-the-clock care. 
• 55-71% of kittens that die in shelters are killed by disease. 
• The mortality rate for orphaned kittens is as high as 40%. 
• 46% of shelter dogs are puppies or juveniles.
•  Puppies under six months wait an average of 23 days before they’re adopted. 
• On average, a lapdog puppy spends just 13 days in a shelter before adoption.

While cats and dogs make up the vast majority of intakes, shelters generally don’t turn animals away. Many exotic animals have extensive life spans and may spend years living in a shelter.  

• Dogs and cats are 50% more likely to be adopted than other shelter animals. 
• After dogs and cats, rabbits are the most-abandoned animals. 
• Turtles carry salmonella and require special handling. 
• Shelters have reported taking in dozens of animals species, including, but not limited to:

Parrots , Turtles , Snakes , 

Rabbits , Chinchillas , Hamsters , 

Rats, Lizards, Fish , Ferrets , Pigs , 

Bearded Dragons, Iguanas , Emus , Peacocks , Llamas, Gerbils , 

Parakeets , Spiders , Chickens , 

Cows , Horses , Goats , Guinea,

 Pigs , Mice , Donkeys , Alpacas