“If I don’t get some shelter oh yeah, I’m gonna fade away,” Mick Jagger said so eloquently. He wasn’t talking about animal shelters, but his line rings just as true for the plight of unwanted animals in our society.
There are a bewildering number of organizations and programs dedicated to animal welfare. Unfortunately, all of those efforts have not solved the problem of animals that are homeless. Here are some facts about U.S. animal shelters to prove that point:
• There are about 5,000 independent community animal shelters nationwide; there is no national organization monitoring these shelters. The terms “humane society” and “SPCA” are generic; shelters using those names are not part of the ASPCA (www.aspca.org), the Humane Society of the United States (www.hsus.org), or the American Humane Association (www.americanhumane.org). Currently, no government institution or animal organization is responsible for tabulating national statistics for the animal protection movement.
• Approximately 5 to 7 million companion animals enter animal shelters nationwide every year, and approximately 3 million to 4 million of them are euthanized (60 percent of dogs and 70 percent of cats). Shelter intakes are about evenly divided between those animals relinquished by owners and those picked up by animal control. These are national estimates; the percentage of euthanasia may vary from state to state.
• According to the National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy (NCPPSP), less than 2 percent of cats and only 15 to 20 percent of dogs are returned to their owners. Most of these were identified with tags, tattoos or microchips.
• Only 10 percent of the animals received by shelters have been spayed or neutered. About 75 percent of owned pets are neutered.
• The majority of pets are obtained from acquaintances and family members. About 15 to 20 percent of dogs are purchased from breeders, and 10 to 20 percent of cats and dogs are adopted from shelters and rescues.
• More than 20 percent of people who leave dogs in shelters adopted them from a shelter.
• Five out of ten dogs in shelters and seven out of ten cats in shelters are destroyed simply because there is no one to adopt them.
The national organizations do not operate, control, or fund local humane societies. However, they do provide support through grants, and training programs for animal care personnel. They also help create standards of care, and evaluation services of animal shelters and government operated animal control programs. That leaves most shelters on their own to generate the funds they need to support the animals in their care.
Here on Whidbey Island we are fortunate to have WAIF – The Whidbey Animals’ Improvement Foundation, which is a non-profit organization formed in 1990 to help our homeless companion animals (www.waifanimals.org). WAIF is dedicated to provide food, shelter, veterinary care, and nurturing to displaced pets until loving homes can be found for them.
WAIF’s main objectives are:
• To operate animal shelters with a lifesaving philosophy.
• To provide the best care possible while actively seeking adoptive homes for the animals in our trust.
• To develop programs to benefit needy companion animals.
• To educate the community to treat companion animals with greater respect and compassion.
• To reduce overpopulation of unwanted animals through spay/neuter programs and education.
WAIF operates two animal shelters in Coupeville and Oak Harbor and two off-site cat adoption centers in Oak Harbor and Freeland. These facilities provide safe refuge to Island County’s homeless dogs and cats while they are awaiting loving homes.
The NAS Whidbey Island Veterinary Treatment Facility is holding a holiday food drive from November 1-30 to help WAIF. Collection bins have been placed at the Commissary, the Navy Exchange, and the veterinary clinic. If you can, please help make this holiday a better one for the homeless pets in our community. Thank you.
Dr. Kiel is the U.S. Army veterinarian currently supporting NAS Whidbey Island and Naval Station Everett. His columns appear the first and third Friday of each month. Please send questions or comments to Dr. Kiel at joseph.kiel@navy.mil.
