Tidbits
Reigning
Cats and Dogs
--Dogs----40.6 million U. S. households have total
of 65 million dogs.
--Cats-----35.3 million households have total
of 78 million cats.
--Fish-----13.9 million households have 192 million
fish.
--Birds----6.7 million households have 17.3 million
birds.
--Small animals----5.6 million households have
16.8 million critters.
--Reptiles---4.1 million households have 9 million
reptiles.
-----Source: American Pet Product Manufacturers
Spay/Neuter Facts
Fact: More than 70,000 puppies and kittens are born in the United
States every day.
Fact: Every year in the U.S. 15 to 20 million cats and dogs are
euthanized because there are not enough homes for them. Spaying
and neutering could easily prevent this killing.
Fact: Being a responsible pet owner by having your pet sterilized
is the first and most important step toward reducing the number
of unwanted/euthanized pets.
Fact: Only one out of five dogs and cats will end up for their
entire lives in a responsible home.
Fact: One female dog and her offspring can be the source of 67,000
puppies in just six years.
Fact: One female cat and her offspring can be the source of 420,000
cats in just seven years.
Fact: Purebreds make up as many as 25 percent of the unwanted animals
coming into shelters today.
Fact: Allowing children to experience “the miracle of birth”
through their pets really sends the message that animals can be
created and discarded as it suits adults.
Fact: There are some states that have mandatory spay/neuter laws.
Pennsylvania is one of them that requires spaying and neutering
animals when adopted from a shelter.
Fact: In Pennsylvania, an estimated 100,000 dogs and cats are euthanized
in shelters annually.
Fact: Spaying and neutering animals changes their character for
the better. A “de-sexed” pet is healthier, happier,
and more responsive.
Fact: Overfeeding, not spaying and neutering, makes a pet fat and
lazy.
Fact: There is no medical evidence that having one litter is good
for your pet.
Fact: The best time to spay a female is before her first heat.
Early spaying greatly reduces the incidence of mammary cancer.
---Source: Humane Society of the United States.
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