New Study Reveals That More Homeless Animals Are Getting A Second Chance At Life

We’ve all heard the heartbreaking statistics: ‘X million’ dogs and cats end up in shelters each year, and more than half of them never make it out alive.

According to new data released by the ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), those numbers are going down – way down!

 

The research was shared with TODAY.com and shows that fewer pets are winding up in shelters. The ones that do are less likely to face euthanasia, and have a better chance of going home with kindhearted adopters.

 

The last ASPCA study conducted in 2011 revealed that 7.2 million pets were being surrendered annually to American shelters or taken in as strays. At that time, about 2.7 million pets found themselves rescued by adoption into new families.

 

According to the new data, about 6.5 million pets are winding up in shelters – an almost even split of 3.3 million dogs and 3.2 million cats – and the number of shelter pets adopted annually has risen by a whopping 500,000! That’s half a million more precious, furry lives saved by adoption, and 700,000 fewer pets experiencing shelter life at all!

For comparison, 13 million pets entered the shelter system in 1973.

 

And the promising statistics don’t end there. The study also reported that 1.2 million fewer dogs and cats are euthanized each year in American shelters, and 61,000 pets taken in as strays are reclaimed by their owners.

 

Emily Weiss, the ASPCA’s vice president for research and development, offered several possible reasons for these happy improvements, including:

• More Americans view their pets as part of the family and are opting for simple life-saving tools such as microchipping.
• Access to free and low-cost spay/neuter programs has helped to reduce the stray kitten and puppy populations.
• Improvements in Breed Specific Legislation have allowed more Pit Bull type-dogs, commonly found in shelters, to be placed in loving homes.
• Widely publicized open adoption events have brought eager families out in droves.

 

Another important change is the increase in programs designed to relieve the physical and financial burdens that cause owners to surrender their pets – including funds for veterinary services, pet food banks, and foster programs that aid the sick, elderly and deployed military personnel.

 

ASPCA president and CEO, Matt Bershadker says that in order to save even more lives, affordable access to vital pet care services is needed. This will keep more pets in the loving homes they already have, and save precious space at local shelters.

 

In addition, when it comes time to welcome a new pet to your family, choose adoption!

“There are still far too many amazing dogs and cats in shelters who need and deserve loving homes,” says Bershadker.

H/T to TODAY.com

Featured Image via Facebook/ASPCA