Preventing Future Homeless Pets

Currently, it is estimated that 4 to 6 million unwanted pets are killed each year in the United States.  That is an average of 575 animals killed in shelters every hour of every day, 365 days a year.

Every day 70,000 puppies and kittens are born.

 Only 1 out of 10 dogs born ever get a home.

Only 1 out of every 12 cats born ever get a home.

(source: Petfinder Animal Rescue Team www.petfinder.org)

The best way to prevent this is to spay and neuter domestic pets. 

On average, a male neutered dog lives 4 years longer than an un-neutered dog.  60% of male dogs hit by cars in the US were un-neutered. (source: veterinary clinic info videos provided by PetcareTV)

According to the June 1994 Pediatrics Journal, 95% of the dog bites observed were caused by un-neutered males.

By spaying and neutering your companion animals, you are reducing the number of unwanted animals, improving the odds of the remaining animals to find a home, and improving the longevity and quality of life for your own companion.

Preventing current companion animal from becoming homeless or from requiring rehoming:

In the US, only 4% of lost cats and 14% of lost dogs are ever reunited with their owners (April 2002 Pets In Distress)

• Identification:  microchip your companion and keep the registered contact information current.  Collars and tags are good, but they can come off or be removed.
   
• Provide a secure environment:  use leashes/harnesses at all times unless the animal is in a securely fenced area.  Ensure gates are closed before releasing an animal into a secured area.  Inspect fences and gates regularly.
   
• Ensure pets are secure in your home before opening exterior doors.  Keeping screen doors/exterior doors locked will prevent someone from inadvertently opening a door and releasing a pet.
   
• Have an “emergency” recall word.  This is a word that will attract your pet’s attention to return to you, in spite of other attractions, when the “come” command is ignored.  “Treat”, “Dinner”, “Cookie” are words that are frequently used as they have very strong, positive associations for your pet.
   
• Training:  most dogs were originally bred for a purpose, as they become domestic pets, those instincts lack an outlet. By working with your pet on an on-going basis, you provide an outlet for that instinct.  A happy and occupied pet will be less likely to develop behavioral issues which could lead to a need to rehome the animal.  Working together also increased the bond between the pet and family members.  HHP has a number of breed specific rescue members who can help you to identify the instinctive “work” that your pet was bred for and suggest types of activities to satisfy this instinctive need.
   
• Have photos of you with your pet for identification purposes and lost pet flyers.  Especially in a disaster situation, other documents may not be available to prove your ownership.

Animal Bites

Pets do come into rescue for rehoming due to a biting incident in their home.

In 1994, there were an estimated 4.5 million animal bite incidents, 17% of which (800,000 bites, 15 of which were fatal) required some form of professional medical attention (source:  Nov. 1995 issue of Pediatrics from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The majority of animal bites are preventable.  Educating children and adults about the correct way to approach animals can significantly reduce bites and the need to rehome that animal.

It is a popular misconception that most bites are caused by unknown strays.  In 1982 a study in Denver determined that 40% of the bite incidents recorded were cause by the neighbour’s dog, 31% by the family’s dog, leaving 29% of the bites as “other” or “unknown”.

Another popular misconception is that the majority of these bites are from dogs.  A 1993 Palm Beach County study revealed that domestic short haired cats had the largest percentage of bites over any one specific breed of dog.