How To Stop Pet Abandonment, Pet Overpopulation & Pet Shelter Overcrowding

Pet abandonment, pet overpopulation and animal shelter/rescue overcrowding are all significant problems in the US, and also other countries across the world.

In this guide, we look at a number of potential solutions to better address these problems.

Summary – How To Decrease The Rate Of Pet Abandonment, & Overcrowding In Animals Shelters & Rescues

Understanding The Main Reasons Why People Give Up Their Pets

We put together a list outlining the main reasons why people give up their pets in the first place.

Understanding these reasons as a starting point can help us figure out where to focus our resources (attention, time and money) in preventing people giving up pets.

Understanding The Stats On Stray Animals, Pet Abandonment, Pet Overpopulation, & Animal Shelter Overcrowding

The same point can be made about understanding the main stats on stray animals, pet abandonment, pet overpopulation and animal shelter overcrowding.

Understanding how and why these things happen, and the extent of each issue, can better help in formulating solutions to these issues.

Summary Of Main Solutions To Main Causes Of Issues

Some of the main solutions to address the surrendering of pets, along with stray animals, pet overpopulation, and animal shelter overcrowding might include:

– Decrease the number of pets being bred, and the number of pet breeders in total

– Increase the level of responsibility and standards of both the breeder and the owner have in providing a home for a pet for the pet’s entire life

– Increase adoption and rescue rates of pets in shelters and rescues

– Increase the number of pets being spayed and neutered (to prevent unwanted and unplanned births and litters)

– Focus particularly on helping or educating the main groups of people at risk of giving up their pets

Low income earners earning less than $50,000 a year, and those living in rental homes or those with housing issues such as a lack of space

Older people over 65 can also sometimes fit in these groups

– Provide more emergency funding to assistance programs that help ‘at-risk’ groups of people in particular, but also other people with short and long term issues they are facing with keeping their pets.

These programs might conditionally help with low cost or free pet health and veterinary care, spaying and neutering, pet behavioral/obedience training (some reports show that over 90% of surrendered pets have had no obedience training), pet supplies and food, pet boarding (for people moving house or going away for a period of time), rental housing pet deposits, and so on

– Particularly focus on dogs between 5 months and 3 years of age (make up 40 to 47% of dogs surrendered), and dogs owned between 7 months to 1 year (make up 30 to 37% of dogs surrendered (petfinder.com)

– More education and awareness on, and more legal regulations introduced that support and enforce the above points

Full List Of Solutions

A full list of solutions outlined in the guide below are:

Better regulations on, more restrictions on, and more accountability and responsibility on pet breeding

Better screening and testing of, and more accountability and responsibility on potential owners

Consider mandatory enforcement of ethical/responsible pet networks and associations (with standards and rules)

Better enforcement of responsible spaying and neutering of pets

Emergency pet retention and support programs

Better awareness and education for pet owners on how they can afford emergency vet care

More awareness about the importance of pet insurance

More awareness about increasing the rate of adoption and rescue

Increase education (perhaps in schools and workplaces) of what the commitment of owning a pet for a lifetime really entails (to reduce novelty and impulse buying)

Explore the potential for expanding the number of pet friendly rentals

More funding to pet surrender and support programs

Consider how co-owning pets could work in reality

Educate owners on re-homing, and also advance planning for their pet/s

Greater awareness for pet owners of what they can do before seriously considering surrendering or giving up their pet

1. Better regulations on, more restrictions on, and more accountability and responsibility on pet breeding

A huge reason there are so many pets given up or sent to animal shelters and rescues every year is because of the total number of pets being bred by breeders.

By law of averages, this increases the number of pets that are eventually given up.

Some breeders are responsible and find suitable ‘forever homes’ for their puppies and dogs, and also accept back puppies and dogs that new owners can’t keep in extenuating circumstances.

But, some breeders intentionally sell purely for profit, without as much care about what happens to the puppies/dogs.

Reducing the number of breeders overall, reducing the number of irresponsible backyard breeders and pet shops that sell puppies, and better regulating of who is allowed to breed dogs (and how), is one potential solution to this problem.

2. Better screening and testing of, and more responsibility and accountability on potential buyers/owners

Certain groups of people are significantly more likely (according to surveys and reports conducted on pet abandonment) to give up their pets.

These groups are low income earners (earning $50,000 or less), and those living in communities with high poverty rates.

Introducing an income test (provide evidence of past pay cheques for example) for prospective owners and pet buyers is one way to address this risk.

With renters being another group of concern, and also those with a lack of housing space or those with housing issues that are incompatible with keeping a pet – there could also be a screening process and testing for these groups of people to see that the dog is suitable for a particular living situation.

3. Consider mandatory enforcement of ethical/responsible pet networks and associations

There are already ethical pet networks/associations out there that match responsible breeders with responsible owners.

A requirement of some of these associations is that breeders and/or owners have to commit to a lifelong re-homing program for pets i.e. the pets are never without a home.

An example of one of these associations is the Australian Association of Pet Dog Breeders.

4. Better enforcement of responsible spaying and neutering of pets

Not desexing pets means a higher incidence rate of unwanted litters and unwanted births.

More awareness around this and subsidized spaying and neutering services could help solve this issue.

In some reports, approximately half of the pets (42.8% of dogs; 50.8% of cats) surrendered were not neutered (petfinder.com)

Obviously it would have to be cross checked what dogs this is safe and healthy for, and what dogs it might not be.

5. Pet retention and support programs

One example is the ASPCA’s “Safety Net” program, and another example is the program run by the Animal Humane Society.

The Safety Net program for example has obtained data that up to 80% of the people they help end up keeping their pets in the short/early term [but there is no long term data we could find yet].

These sorts of programs might offer assistance to owners in need via low cost or free pet support services such as:

Health care and veterinary services

Registration and microchipping

Spaying and neutering

Vaccines and medicine

Obedience/behavioral training and socialisation

Pet supplies and dog food (pet food banks)

Pet boarding and temporary stay or foster services

Paying for pet deposits in rentals

Giving advice on how to deal with pet allergies

Having rehabilitation programs for dogs with aggression issues

… and more

It’s been found in one survey that up to 80% of people are unaware of the resources out there to help support them and their pets, but up to 88% choose to pursue finding out about resources rather than going straight to surrendering their pet (aspcapro.org)

In regards to vet help and obedience help in particular, some surrendered pet studies show:

Many of the pets relinquished (33% of dogs; 46.9% of cats) had not been to a veterinarian.

Most dogs (96%) had not received any obedience training

Read more on support and retention programs in the ASPCA.org, nextavenue.org and animalhumanesociety.org resources

6. Teach people what their options are for affording veterinary care, or emergency veterinary care

There can be more affordable ways to get veterinary care for pets that people aren’t aware of – and knowing your options in regards to pet health services can certainly help.

Read more about working with vets, financial assistance, and fundraising and temporary credit at humanesociety.org

7. More awareness about the importance of pet insurance

Pet insurance can save thousands in the event of an emergency.

There are affordable options out there, but there needs to be more awareness around it. Breeders and vets might play a role in this.

8. More awareness about increasing the rate of adoption and rescue

Existing animal shelters and adoption places need to continue to empty out (so resources and money/time can be directed to solving other pet problems)

Increasing awareness about how potential owners can find suitable pets might be one way to achieve this.

9. Increase education and awareness on what owning a pet for the entirety of its life entails

Some people just have no idea what is required to own a pet.

Breeders might produce standard documents in the future for owners to sign that shows they have read, understood and accepted the financial, time, exercise, socialisation and other responsibilities (such as obedience and behavioral training, and understanding that a dog is a dog and not a human), and investments, that owners with have to take on and make.

10. Increase the number of pet friendly rentals, or explore the need for wider acceptance of pet bond deposits

This is a tricky one because landlords have a right to refuse pets on their privately owned properties.

But, increasing the number of pet friendly rentals and having a wider acceptance of pet bonds/deposits could help more owners keep their pets.

11. More funding to pet surrender and support programs

Programs like the ones mentioned above that provide basic pet care services and basic support for owners thinking of giving up their pets need more money.

More funding would help more pets stay out of shelters and rescues, and help less pets be euthanized.

12. Consider how co-owning pets could work in reality

One idea floated by some people is the idea of co-owning a pet.

This is the idea that two groups of people share ownership of the pet, and agree to or 50/50 split care, bills, and other ownership responsibilities.

It would provide a safety net in the situation that one group of people can’t care for the pet anymore.

Another similar idea to this is the idea that an owner has to name a secondary party who would be required to take care of their pet should they be unable to anymore.

This party would have to be identified/registered at the time of buying the pet.

13. Educate owners on re-homing, and also advance planning for their pet/s

Re-homing may be the only option for some owners – people should know how to do this in an easy but responsible way so they don’t have to resort to shelters and rescues.

Furthermore, some owners might age, or experience mental or physical challenges that render them incapable of caring for their pet for a period of time.

Advance planning the care of your pet in the event something happens to you one way to address this.

Speak to friends, family or start researching re-homing programs and options.

14. Greater awareness for pet owners of what they can do before seriously considering surrendering or giving up their pet …

Owners themselves, or friends or family members might be considering giving up or surrendering their pet.

Before that become a reality, some options that pet owners might explore might be:

– Call a pet support program in your area

A lot of people might give up their pet due to financial challenges.

Pet support programs can do a range of things such as offering discounted or free basic vet services, spaying and neutering, obedience/behavioral training, temporary pet boarding and fostering, and more.

In the US, two examples are the ASPCA launched “Safety Net” program, and another is the program run by the Animal Humane Society.