They are our pets! We pamper them. We take them everywhere we go. We cuddle and talk to them and make them a part of our family. They are our pets! In 2005, 63% of US households owned at least one pet, 83% of pet owners referred to themselves as their pet’s mom or dad, 59% celebrated their pet’s birthday and 52% believed that their pet listens to them best. In 2005, $40.8 billion was spent on our pets for faux mink coats, feathered French day beds, food, bowls, vaccinations, little pink ribbons and a myriad of toys and supplies. They were the lucky ones!

Those are the lucky ones! Sadly, others were among the 500 cats and dogs killed every minute in shelters throughout America in 2005. Far too many animals who thought they had a home suddenly became the incredibly disposable pet when their owner moved (the #1 reason dogs are surrendered) , got tired of walking them, paying vet bills or any other number of reasons. They were abandoned by the millions, surrendered to a shelter or allowed to drift away from home and never searched for. It happens to “mutts”, elegant purebreds, labs, pit bulls, fluffy kittens and dogs that look like Rin Tin Tin, Lassie and Toto. Unspayed or unneutered, they reproduce while they become sick and starving, trying to stay alive on the streets and in the woods. Millions more animals lose their lives to moving vehicles or abusive owners who have them living in a filthy back yards tied to a short chain without adequate food, water or attention. The consequences of the overpopulation crisis are much too tragic to be minimized. This reckless disregard for animal life corrodes our cultural values and allows us to treat living creatures as throwaway items to be cuddled when cute and abandoned when inconvenient. The problem is of such magnitude that it is time we become aware of the reality of this tragedy. The statistics tell the story.

In 2005, 67% of the animals who entered our Tri-County shelters were euthanized. Our kill rate of 26 animals per 1000 people is euqal to that of Appalachia and the Gulf Coast, the worst regions of the country.

The Tri-County Tragedy

In 2005, the Tri-County kill rate of 26 animals per 1000 people was equal to the worst regions of the country, Appalachia and the Gulf Coast. However, unlike Appalachia, we are not the region improving the most quickly. We are nearly twice as bad as the national average of 14.8, 6 1/2 times worse than the no-kill standard of 4 per 1000 people and 13 times worse than the best areas of the country. The population in the Tri-County in 2005 was 594,899. The number of animals taken into our shelters was 23,003. Of those, 1652 (7%) were returned to their owners, 5,167 (22%) were adopted, 336 were rescued (1.4%). Every day 42 animals were killed, for a yearly total of 15,453. Of the animals that entered our Tri-County shelters, 67% were euthanized. According to our estimates, 40% of these dogs and cats were healthy, could have been medically treated or had behavioral problems eliminatedwith proper training. Clearly, pet overpopulation is not just a problem for the animals or shelters involved. Abandoned and stray companion animals who survive on the streets can create public health problems and traffic accidents or anger citizens who have no understanding of their misery or needs. Free-roaming animals can also carry diseases such as rabies and can pose a serious, direct threat to people and their pets. On average, it costs $100 to capture, house, feed, kill and ultimately dispose of a homeless pet. At that rate, the yearly cost for Tri-County tax payers would be $1,545,000! Read More