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Fast Facts: Animal Shelters, Overpopulation & Pet Ownership

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Overpopulation of homeless animals has become quite an epidemic.  Animal shelters across the country house rescued animals from irresponsible pet owners and those who can no longer care for their animals.  Staff at local animal shelters have helped find loving homes for millions of needy animals and continue in their efforts to search for responsible, caring pet owners.  Below are some facts about animal shelters, pet overpopulation, and pet ownership.Animal Shelters

• 25% of dogs that are brought into a shelter are purebred.
• Only 10% of the animals rescued by shelters have been spayed or neutered.
• 15-20% of dogs are returned to their original owners that don’t privde their animals with city registration or proper identification.

Pet Overpopulation

• A fertile dog can produce two litters of puppies per year and six to ten puppies per litter.  That means one dog can produce 20 puppies per year.
• One female dog and her offspring can produce approximately 67,000 puppies in six years!
• Though it is hard to determine how may stray dogs live in the United States, it is estimated that 5-10 million roam nationwide.
• Two years is the average lifespan of a stray dog.

Pet Ownership

• Approximately 60% of all U.S. households own pets.
• About 53 million dogs are owned in the United States.
• Approximately 65% of all pet owners acquire their pets free or at a very low cost.
• Of the total people who have adopted dogs from shelters, 23% have also left a dog with a shelter.