Comm. Outreach: Humane Education

Owning a pet is a big responsibility, one the HSPC feels shouldn't be taken lightly. The statistics displayed on this page demonstrate how important it is to take the role of pet owner seriously.

• An estimated 52 million dogs and 57 million cats live with U.S. families.



• For every human born, seven puppies and kittens are born.



• One female cat and her offspring can produce 420,000 cats in seven years.



• One female dog and her offspring can produce 67,000 puppies in six years.



• More than 12 million dogs and cats are euthanized in shelters each year. Millions more are abandoned in rural and urban areas.



• Little Rock's Animal Services took in over 7,000 animals in 1999. Over 5,000 were euthanized that same year. Jacksonville Animal Control saw 946 dogs and 361 cats brought to its shelter in 1999. Of those animals, 476 dogs and 319 cats were euthanized. North Little Rock Animal Control euthanized 1,160 dogs and 622 cats in 1999 while Sherwood Animal Services was forced to euthanize 120 dogs and 279 cats the same year.



• As many as 25 percent of the dogs entering shelters each year are purebreds.



• Approximately 61 percent of all dogs entering shelters are killed.



• Approximately 75 percent of all cats entering shelters are killed.



• There are approximately 62,400,000 owned dogs in the United States.



• Nearly four in ten (or 39,000,000) households own at least one dog.



• There are approximately 64,250,000 owned cats in the United States.



• Three in ten (or 32,128,000) U.S. households own at least one cat.

Please Don't Litter

Killing unwanted animals is not the answer. The real answer is to spay and neuter.