[straightsilk]

Originally Posted by jp4m2

After seeing this thread I started wondering myself, why are so many pets in shelters ?.....After trying to do some research I found very little information was available in regards to this problem. There was one study done by The Regional Shelter Relinquishment Study sponsored by the National Council on
Pet Population Study and Policy (NCPPSP)……..Here are some stats they found……..even though it's a little dated....

Top 10 Reasons for Relinquishment*
Dogs:
1. Moving (7%)
2. Landlord not allowing pet (6%)
3. Too many animals in household (4%)
4. Cost of pet maintenance (5%)
5. Owner having personal problems (4%)
6. Inadequate facilities (4%)
7. No homes available for litter mates (3%)
8. Having no time for pet (4%)
9. Pet illness(es) (4%)
10. Biting (3%)


Characteristics of Pets Being Relinquished
In addition to the reasons for relinquishment, the study collected data on the pets being relinquished. According to the study:
• The majority of the surrendered dogs (47.7%) and cats (40.3%) were between 5 months and 3 years of age.
• The majority of dogs (37.1%) and cats (30.2) had been owned from 7 months to 1 year.
• Approximately half of the pets (42.8% of dogs; 50.8% of cats) surrendered were not neutered. Many of the pets relinquished (33% of dogs; 46.9% of cats) had not been to a veterinarian.
• Animals acquired from friends were relinquished in higher numbers (31.4% of dogs; 33.2% of cats) than from any other source.
• Close to equal numbers of male and female dogs and cats were surrendered.
• Most dogs (96%) had not received any obedience training.


The survey also revealed :

......on average, 42.5 percent of pets that entered animal shelters were submitted by animal control authorities and nearly 30 percent were surrendered by their owners. The remainder was relinquished by other sources…..

In addition, the majority of respondents--62 percent--were under 30 years of age and 52 percent had at least finished high school…….

Findings included that 30% of dogs and 6% of relinquished cats were purebred. Most animals were between 5 months and 3 years of age. Twenty-seven percent of dogs and 36.5% of cats were reported to live outdoors always or almost always....

……..Dogs were at increased risk of relinquishment if they were obtained at no cost or if their purchase cost was less than $100………. dogs obtained at no cost and with little effort are at increased risk of relinquishment. This might reflect a lack of value to the owner or a lower level
of attachment or commitment.....

Mixed-breed animals were at increased risk of relinquishment. Dogs
who came from an animal shelter, friend, or pet shop or who had been a stray were at increased risk of relinquishment compared with dogs who entered households as gifts. ………

Of the 71 reasons for relinquishment recorded in the study, 24 were classified as behavioral. Behavioral reasons accounted for 27% of the single-reason canine relinquishment's……

…… Significantly more people relinquishing dogs and cats felt that a female dog or cat would be better off if she had one litter before being spayed…….


I was very surprised that 62% of the surrenders are from young people. If moving is the number one reason for relinquishment I would venture to guess it's the younger pet owners doing so.

Also I found the "31% of relinquished dogs acquired from friends" a sad statistic. These dumped pets could have been prevented if neutering or spaying had been done ....It's just a sad situation ........