Austin's Pet Overpopulation

The problem of pet overpopulation may seem distant to those who have never been inside one of Austin's many animal shelters. Sure, there are a few stray cats around your apartment complex, but it's nothing major, right?
Sadly, just one look in these facilities, or one conversation with a rescue worker, will convince you that there are literally thousands of homeless animals out there this very moment, many of whom will not live to the end of the week. Those who view pet overpopulation as something that only happens on "Animal Cops" are gravely mistaken. Students, in particular, may not even be aware of the magnitude of the issue because there are organizations dedicated to lowering the stray cat and dog presence on campus.

The following are the statistics from Town Lake Animal Center for the previous fiscal year (October '03 - September '04):

• Animals sheltered: 24,807
• Dogs and cats adopted: 4,354
• Animals trasferred to other placement organizations: 3,130
• Animals returned to their owners: 2,906
• Animals euthanized: 12,887
  
  Percentage breakdown:
• Adopted, rescued or returned to owner: 43%
• Euthanized: 52% (remaining 5% are wildlife that get relocated, animals that die in the shelter, animals stolen or missing from the shelter, and other miscellaneous outcomes)

Over half the animals accepted into Town Lake are euthanized.

The Humane Society of Williamson County in Leander also provided the following numbers for the same year (Oct. 2003 - Sept. 2004):

• Total animal intake: 4,756
• Dogs and cats adopted: 1,050
• Animals reclaimed: 592
• Animals euthanized: 1,790

In contrast, here are the current figures (Oct. 1 - present) for the Georgetown Animal Shelter:

• Intakes: 907
• Adopted: 459
• Euthanized: 242
• Returned to owner: 179
  
• Year to date:
  Euthanized 26%
  Adopted 50%

As you can see, the Georgetown Animal Shelter demonstrates excellent percentages compared to other shelters. It is important to remember, however, that as low as this euthanasia rate may seem, it still means that over a fourth of all animals in that shelter die. The problem may not be as pronounced, but it should never be forgotten or ignored. Following that philosophy, the staff at the Georgetown Animal Shelter strive constantly to improve their adoption rate and lower their euthanasia rate. They are not content with "good" numbers, nor should the general public become complacent with respect to such an obvious and serious problem.

The following are 2004 statistics for PAWS Shelter and Humane Society in Kyle:

• Total animals accepted: 3,212
  Animals brought in by Animal Control from Hays County (Kyle and Buda): 2,284
  Owner surrenders: 928
  
• Adoptions: 1,349
• Animals transferred to rescue organizations: 14
• Animals reclaimed by owners: 285
  
• Anmals euthanized: 1,424
• Euthanized to end suffering because untreatable (too young, sick, injured to survive):
  Dogs: 123
  Cats: 198
  Wildlife: 4
• Euthanized because unadoptable/ aggression (highly unsocialized, feral):
  Dogs: 510
  Cats: 589
  
  Percentage breakdown:
• Animals adopted, rescued, or returned to owners: 51%
• Animals euthanized: 44% (remaining 5% miscellaneous outcomes)

The PAWS shelter, though it handles a smaller number of animals overall, still demonstrates percentages reflective of an alarming overpopulation trend. Although they handle more feral/wild animals than shelters in highly urban areas such as TLAC, they do have programs dedicated to socializing these "unadoptable" animals. One of these programs is P.E.T.S. in Prison.

As high as these number seem to be, they fit perfectly with the Humane Society's estimates for pet overpopulation, given below:

• Number of cats and dogs entering shelters each year:
  6-8 million (HSUS estimate)
• Number of cats and dogs euthanized by shelters each year:
  3-4 million (HSUS estimate)
• Number of cats and dogs adopted from shelters each year:
  3-4 million (HSUS estimate)
• Number of cats and dogs reclaimed by owners from shelters each year:
  Between 600,000 and 750,000 -- 30% of dogs and 2-5% of cats entering shelters (HSUS estimate)
• Number of animal shelters in the United States:
  Between 4,000 and 6,000 (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 seven years, one female cat and her offspring can theoretically produce 420,000 cats.
• Average number of litters a fertile dog can produce in one year: 2
• Average number of puppies in a canine litter: 6-10
• In six years, one female dog and her offspring can theoretically produce 67,000 dogs.

Did you know?

One of the major contributors to pet overpopulation is mass overbreeding. You can help fight this problem by refusing to fund the operations of puppymills and backyard breeders. Don't buy animals from pet stores, out of the newspaper, or from roadside stands. Always know where the dog you're purchasing came from and whether the seller is a responsible breeder.
To learn how to identify a backyard breeder, visit our BYBs and Puppymills page.