Dog Population & Dog Sheltering Trends in the United States of America

Abstract

Dog management in the United States has evolved considerably over the last 40 years. This review analyzes available data from the last 30 to 40 years to identify national and local trends. In 1973, The Humane Society of the US (The HSUS) estimated that about 13.5 million animals (64 dogs and cats per 1000 people) were euthanized in the US (about 20% of the pet population) and about 25% of the dog population was still roaming the streets. Intake and euthanasia numbers (national and state level) declined rapidly in the 1970s due to a number of factors, including the implementation of shelter sterilization policies, changes in sterilization practices by private veterinarians and the passage of local ordinances implementing differential licensing fees for intact and sterilized pets. By the mid-1980s, shelter intake had declined by about 50% (The HSUS estimated 7.6⁻10 million animals euthanized in 1985). Data collected by PetPoint over the past eight years indicate that adoptions increased in the last decade and may have become an additional driver affecting recent euthanasia declines across the US. We suspect that sterilizations, now part of the standard veterinary care, and the level of control of pet dogs exercised by pet owners (roaming dogs are now mostly absent in many US communities) played an important part in the cultural shift in the US, in which a larger proportion of families now regard their pet dogs as "family members".

Keywords: human-canine relationship; humane dog management; shelter statistics; sterilization.

Figure 1

Intake and Euthanasia of Dogs and Cats by Los Angeles Animal Services [10,13,14,15,16].

Figure 2

Licensed dogs in the City of Los Angeles and the Percentage Sterilized [10,13,14,15,16] 2000 data point from McKee, 2000 [17].

Figure 3

Change in dog intake and euthanasia at Peninsula Humane Society (the main shelter in San Mateo County, CA, USA) from 1970 to 2006 and in San Mateo County between 1997 to 2015 [13].

Figure 4

Figures for the graph below are based on rough estimates of the number of dogs and cats euthanized per 1000 people in shelters in the USA [4,25]. The more recent estimates are supported by more robust raw data sets drawn from Clifton (2014) [26] and PetPoint sheltering reports [27].

Figure 5

Percentage of dogs adopted, RTO (Returned to Owner) and euthanized (of total dog intake) nationwide based on PetPoint data (from 900–1200 shelters and rescue organization) September 2009–September 2017 [27].

Figure 6

Shelter dog adoptions and euthanasia as proportions of intake as well as total dog intake, based on data provided by the State of New Jersey.

Figure 7

New Jersey Stray cat and dogs survey results 1984 to 2014.

Figure 8

Fresno, California intake and euthanasia per 1000 people.

Figure 9

San Diego, California intake and euthanasia per 1000 people.

Figure 10

California dog shelter trends per 1000 people living in California.

Figure 11

Intake and euthanasia per 1000 people living in Michigan (raw data retrieved from: [26]).

Figure 12

Acquisition of dogs in the United States [40].

Figure 13

Expenditures related to dog keeping and veterinary care [39] (Note: the straight lines in the graph are not calculated trend lines but are included to distinguish the different periods of relative expenditure growth).

Figure 14

Where dog owners keep their dogs at night and where they sleep [38].

Figure 15

Pets as family members.