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11 Facts About Animal Homelessness

Welcome to DoSomething.org, a global movement of millions of young people making positive change, online and off! The 11 facts you want are below, and the sources for the facts are at the very bottom of the page. After you learn something, Do Something! Find out how to take action here.

  1. Only 1 out of every 10 dogs born will find a permanent home.^[The Mosby Foundation. "Truth of what happens to shelter animals everyday." Web Accessed February 23, 2015.]
  2. The main reasons animals are in shelters: owners give them up, or animal control finds them on the street.^[Towell, Lisa. "Why People Abandon Animals." PETA Prime, 2010. Web Accessed February 23, 2015.]
  3. Each year, approximately 2.7 million dogs and cats are killed every year because shelters are too full and there aren’t enough adoptive homes. Act as a publicist for your local shelter so pets can find homes. Sign up for Shelter Pet PR.^[American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. "Pet Statistics." Web Accessed February 26, 2015.]
  4. Approximately 7.6 million companion animals enter animal shelters nationwide every year. Of those, approximately 3.9 million are dogs and 3.4 million are cats.^[American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. "Pet Statistics." Web Accessed February 26, 2015.]
  5. According to the National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy (NCPPSP), less than 2% of cats and only 15 to 20% of dogs are returned to their owners.^[American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. "Pet Statistics." Web Accessed February 26, 2015.]
  6. 25% of dogs that enter local shelters are purebred.^[The Humane Society of the United States. "U.S. Pet Ownership and Shelter Population Estimates." 2012 & 2013. Web Accessed February 23, 2015.]
  7. About twice as many animals enter shelters as strays compared to the number that are relinquished by their owners.^[American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. "Pet Statistics." Web Accessed February 26, 2015.]
  8. It’s impossible to determine how many stray dogs and cats live in the United States. Estimates for cats alone range up to 70 million.^[American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. "Pet Statistics." Web Accessed February 26, 2015.]
  9. Only 10% of the animals received by shelters have been spayed or neutered. Overpopulation, due to owners letting their pets accidentally or intentionally reproduce, sees millions of these “excess” animals killed annually.^[American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. "Pet Statistics." Web Accessed February 26, 2015.]
  10. Many strays are lost pets that were not kept properly indoors or provided with identification.^[American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. "Pet Statistics." Web Accessed February 26, 2015.]
  11. According to The Humane Society, there are about 3,500 brick-and-mortar animal shelters in the US and 10,000 rescue groups and animal sanctuaries in North America.^[The Humane Society. "Pets by the numbers." Web Accessed February 20, 2019.]
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