Posted in reply to the post by santarosie:
Unwanted animals are the problem. Maybe a home will be found for this pit bull, maybe not. It's likely she'll wind up at a shelter at some point in her life, and the chance of finding a home for her before she is killed is not good. If she breeds, her offspring will probably suffer the same fate, possibly worse in the fighting circuit. I just don't know how people can ignore these gut-wrenching truths. For those us us who have worked in the shelters, in the trenches, loving and caring for these unwanted animals, only to see them destroyed, it is absolutely heartbreaking.
Pet Overpopulation Statistics from
spcaLA Home Page - Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles
By Maureen Schooley 12/28/2008
Number of cats and dogs entering shelters
each year: 6-8 million (HSUS estimate)
Number of cats and dogs euthanized
by shelters each year: 3 - 4M (HSUS estimate)
Number of cats and dogs adopted from
shelters each year: 3 - 4M (HSUS estimate)
Number of cats and dogs reclaimed by owners
from shelters each year: Between 600 and 750k --
30% of dogs and 2-5% of cats entering shelters
(HSUS estimate)
Number of animal shelters in the USA:
Between 4k and 6k (HSUS estimate)
Percentage of dogs in shelters
who are purebred: 25% (HSUS estimate)
Average number of litters a
fertile cat can produce in one year: 3
Average number of kittens
in a feline litter: 4 - 6
In 7 years, one female cat and her
offspring can theoretically produce 420k cats.
Average number of litters a
fertile dog can produce in one year: 2
Average number of pups per canine litter: 6-10
In 6 years, one female dog and her
offspring can theoretically produce 67k dogs.
It costs U.S. taxpayers an estimated $2 billion
each year to round up, house, kill, and dispose
of homeless animals. (USA Today)
Over 56% of dogs and puppies entering shelters
are killed based on reports from over 1,055 facilities
across America. (National Counsel on Pet Population Study)
An estimated 5M cats and dogs are killed in shelters each year.
That means that one animal is euthanized every six and one half
seconds. (HSUS)
Each day 10k humans are born in the USA, and each day
70k pups and kittens are born. As long as these birth rates
exist, there will never be enough homes for all the animals
(Spay USA)