BY ED ERKES
America is a nation that loves its pets. However, we are also a nation that has a homeless, neglected, and abused pet problem. While there have been significant improvements in the last few decades, much work still needs to be done. The sad truth is that North Carolina has been lagging behind many other states. The Animal Welfare League of Wayne County is a recently established organization dedicated to improving the lives of our pets through community awareness and involvement, access to education and resources for responsible pet ownership, support of local animal welfare groups, and advocacy for stronger animal protection laws.
In this first article we are going to look at some pet ownership facts revealed by recent surveys. We will then contrast these findings with some recent animal shelter statistics. Planning future goals to enhance the lives of our community’s pets is difficult if we’re unaware of our starting point. So here is a brief overview of the current state of affairs.
Pet Ownership Facts
· Pet ownership has increased over the last three decades: from 56% of U.S. households in 1988 to 66% in 2024 (86.9 million homes).1
· Dogs are the most popular pet (65.1 million homes). Cats are second at 46.5 million homes, with freshwater fish a distant third (11.1 million homes).1
· Homeowners are more likely to own pets than renters: 58% of homeowners have a dog and 36% have a cat versus 39% and 29% of renters respectively.2
· 68% of White and 66% of Hispanic adults own a pet. By comparison, just 37% of Asian and 34% of Black adults are pet owners.3
· 42% of dog owners and 43% of cat owners obtained their pets from a store. 38% of dog owners and 40% of cat owners got their pets from an animal shelter or rescue.2
· Millennials (born in the 80’s and 90’s) make up the largest group of pet owners (33%), followed by Generation Xers (born between 1965 and 1980) (25%), and baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1964) (24%).1
· 71% of adults living in rural areas have a pet – much higher than the shares in suburban and urban areas. Rural Americans also stand out as the most likely to have multiple pets: 47% of adults in rural areas have more than one pet, compared with 32% in the suburbs and 26% in urban areas.3
· 97% of pet owners consider pets to be part of their family. 51% consider their pets to be as much a part of the family as a human member. People with lower family incomes are more likely to consider a pet equal to a human family member (64%), compared to 46% of middle-income families and 43% of higher income families.3
· In 2022, Americans spent $136.8 billion on their pets, an 11 percent increase from 2021.1
· Essential dog expenses cost an average of $1,533 annually. 1
· 88% of pets living in underserved communities are not spayed or neutered.4
· 69% of pets living in underserved communities have never seen a veterinarian.4
· Some 26% of Americans say there is not enough emphasis on the well-being of pets, and an equal share say there is too much. Roughly half (48%) say there’s about the right amount of emphasis on the well-being of pets.3
Animal Shelter Statistics and a Growing North Carolina Concern.5
· In 2021, 4.6 million dogs and cats entered U.S animal shelters. Of those, 83% were saved. However, 355,000 dogs and cats were killed.
· While cats and dogs enter US shelters in roughly equal numbers, more than twice as many cats are needlessly dying in shelters. 68% of the animals killed in shelters are cats (the remaining 32% are dogs).
· Five states account for half of all dogs and cats killed in shelters. North Carolina is one of those five.
· Between 2016 and 2021, the percentage of U.S. shelters that are no-kill has more than doubled, from 24% to 52%.
· The number of pets killed in US shelters has declined by 77% since 2016.
· Shelter intakes are roughly twice as likely to be strays than they are to be relinquished by their owner.
· 75% of pets relinquished to shelters are for reasons related to the owner’s circumstances compared to 25% for reasons specific to the animal. Housing issues are the most common reason. Other top reasons include having too many animals, a death in the family, and finances.
· Spaying and neutering can greatly reduce the number of animals who enter shelters and may also prevent medical and behavioral problems. However, there has been a downward trend in the number of dogs and cats spayed and neutered in recent years.
· Delaware and New Hampshire are the only states in the nation that have achieved no-kill status (90% or greater save rate)
· 85% of adults feel it is either essential or very important to have no-kill shelters in their area.
Ideally, animal shelters should serve as a sanctuary for homeless pets and a temporary haven for lost pets. Unfortunately, many shelters put down numerous animals each year because of overcrowding and limited resources.
Conditions are improving, but some areas are doing much better than others. Unfortunately, our state is not doing well. In the most recent statistics available (2021), North Carolina ranked second in the U.S. in percentage of shelter animals killed (14%) and third in actual numbers of animals killed. Five states (Texas, California, North Carolina, Florida, and Alabama) accounted for more than half of all shelter animals killed.
The ultimate goal for an animal shelter is to achieve no-kill status. According to the Veternarians.org, no-kill shelters are shelters where every adoptable dog and cat remains in the shelter or in foster care until it is rehomed. Adoptable animals are not killed because of overcrowding or lack of resources. No-kill shelters only euthanize animals that have untreatable medical conditions or behavioral issues. This category of animals should represent less than 10% of the animals entering the shelter; therefore, an animal shelter with a 90% or higher save rate is considered no-kill.
The Animal Welfare League of Wayne County believes that all dogs and cats deserve to live in a safe and healthy environment. It will take a community working together to achieve this goal. The goal has been reached elsewhere. It can be reached here. Please join us!
Survey Sources
1. American Pet Products Association (2023-2024)
2. American Veterinary Medical Association (2022 Pet Ownership and Demographics Sourcebook)
3. Pew Research Center Survey, April 10-16, 2023.
4. Pets for Life Research, Humane Society of the United States
5. Source article for animal shelter statistics: https://www.veterinarians.org/animal-shelter-statistics/
Online articles that served as source material: