Did You Know?
For every 100 dogs that enter shelters around the country:
14 are returned home
25 are adopted
60 are killed
For every 100 cats that enter shelters around the country:
1 is returned home
19 are adopted
80 are killed
Every year, more than 10 MILLION animals enter shelters in the United States. That does not take into account the homeless animals that wander the streets until they find an end to their misery under the wheels of a car.
OK, I see the problem, but what can I do about it?
1. Adopt your pets from a local animal shelter.
2. Spay or Neuter your pet.
3. Tell your friends about the benefits of spaying/neutering.
4. Donate to your local shelter, or if you are old enough - volunteer there to walk dogs or play with cats.
What else can kids do? Take a look at Dogmandu and see for yourself!
Animal Protection
Around The World
The United States is not the only country with a pet over-population problem. Other nations also encourage spay/neuter programs to help reduce the need for killing healthy animals. Some countries do not consider animals important enough to spend money and energy to protect them. Sometimes, the economic needs of a nation's people prevent them from protecting their pets even though they want to.
All sites listed are in English.
CANADA
About one and one-half million healthy pets die each year in Canada because they have no home. About 50 percent of them find homes. This is a much better adoption rate than the USA. (Animal Alliance of Canada)
GREAT BRITAIN
Great Britain is home to 7 million cats and 6.5 million dogs. That means that half of all British households have pets. There are also around 2 million strays. Shelters take in 270,000 of these strays each year and adopt out about 36,000 cats and 27,000 dogs. (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals)
RUSSIA
Since the financial crisis in 1998, people in Russia have had difficulties in feeding the children in their families. Many good people have had to abandon their pets because they no longer have enough money to but them food. In St. Petersburg, the largest shelter can house only 350 dogs and 450 cats - and they cannot always afford to feed them. (The Organization for the Protection of Animals)
SWITZERLAND
In Zurich, thousands of helpless pets are abandoned, drowned, or thrown out of a car window. Like the United States, there are many agencies that people could turn to rather than simply abandoning unwanted pets to a cruel life on the streets. (Zurich Animal Protection Society)
JAPAN
In Japan, there are almost no shelters for homeless animals. If a stray is picked up by an animal control officer, it has 3 days for its owner to claim it. If it is not claimed within 3 days, it is put to death. About one million dogs are killed every year, and many more are sold to laboratories or die on the streets. A few animal shelters are being organized to try to educate the people of Japan about the suffering of homeless pets. (Animal Refuge Kansai)
Other Links to Animal Shelters Around The World
Caution: If you are easily upset by pictures of injured animals, you may not want to visit these sites.
Puerto Rico
Save a Sato
Singapore
Noah's Ark Lodge
Canary Islands
New P.A.L.S. (Protection of the Animals of Lanzarote Society)