Why Adopt?

Some people are strongly pro-adoption; others are strongly anti-adoption; still others have never really thought about adoption or know what’s available in that area. We started The Animal House Pet Rescue in July 2009 to help homeless pets find new forever families and to educate the public about pet overpopulation and the ways adoption can help to reduce it. Here, we’ve presented some interesting statistics about why people do and don’t adopt and why we think everyone should.

Reasons People Do and Don’t Adopt

Petsmart Charities in 2010 sponsored a market research study on the drivers (reasons people do) and barriers (reasons people don’t) to adoption. This study presents some interesting statistics.

• More than 1 in 3 recently acquired dog/cat owners have not spayed or neutered their pet. Younger adults and those living in the South are least likely to have their pet spayed/neutered.
  
• There is no clear understanding of the problems caused by pet overpopulation.
• The top five reasons listed for not adopting (in order of votes) were:
• Shelter/rescue didn’t have the kind we wanted
• Wanted a purebred
• Don’t know what you get with a shelter animal
• Don’t know much about adoption
• Adoption process is too difficult
• The number one reason people adopt – to save a life.
• Second most popular reason people adopt – to get an animal that is already spayed/neutered and has had all its vaccinations.
• The majority of people surveyed have the perception that shelter/rescue animals are always sick; however, interestingly enough, 98% of past adopters would recommend adoption to their friends and family.

There are several important conclusions we can make based on this information:

• Adoption reduces the rate of pet overpopulation. Since adopted animals are always altered (if they’re not, you are not dealing with a reputable rescue) there is no chance that they will be able to reproduce.
• Adoption is often a much better value than taking in a stray or taking a cat from a friend. The adoption donation normally includes the cost of spaying or neutering and vaccinations and can often include testing for known diseases and sometimes a microchip. There is no way to get all those services at a vet for anything close to the cost of adopting an animal.
• The fact that adopters recommend it so highly negates the perception people have of rescue animals always being sick. In fact, an animal from a reputable rescue is more likely to have been to a vet and treated for any illness than a stray or a “hand-me-down.” Yes, it is likely that rescue animals have been exposed to things like intestinal parasites or colds simply because they are in multiple cat households; but a good rescue will disclose the animal’s history and medical treatment prior to adoption.

Adoption Saves Lives

There is no disputing that adoption saves lives. I saw an email signature the other day that read, “The top 4 million reasons to adopt were euthanized in shelters last year.” Wondering if this was an accurate statement, I went searching for facts to back it up and found that it is, indeed.

It is difficult to accurately state the number of animals euthanized in shelters across the country because there are no uniform regulations that govern the reporting of these statistics. In order to get a picture of the euthanasia rate, we took several reports and came up with the following information.

The National Council on Pet Population published a report in 1997 that compiled the responses from approximately 1,000 shelters nationwide. According to this report, which can be seen at http://www.petpopulation.org/statsurvey.html, in 1997:

• 64% of the total number of animals that entered shelters were euthanized
• Based on the 4.3 million animals reported, this represents almost 3 million animals (2,752,000)
• 56% of dogs were euthanized
• 71% of cats were euthanized

Using these ratios, the American Humane Association estimates that in 2008, almost 4 million animals were euthanized in the United States. http://www.americanhumane.org/about-us/newsroom/fact-sheets/animal-shelter-euthanasia.html

This estimation is supported by more localized studies. In an independent report from Michigan titled Rates of Euthanasia and Adoption for Dogs and Cats in Michigan and reported in the Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, 8(2), 97–104 Copyright © 2005, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., the euthanasia rate by species, age, and neutering was:

• 32% of altered cats were euthanized
• 69% of unaltered cats were euthanized
• 3% of altered kittens were euthanized
• 64% of unaltered kittens were euthanized

http://www.naiashelterproject.org/pdfs/michigan_shelter_study.pdf

In Pennsylvania, the outlook is equally as bleak for shelter cats. One Humane Society in the Erie, Pennsylvania area euthanized 73 percent of its cat intakes between April 2009 and July 2010. The clinic projects 2010 euthanization will be at its highest number in at least a decade.

In July 2009, Philadelphia SPCA reported that 76 percent of all animals that entered its doors were put down. The total number of euthanized cats reported in 2009 was 12,629.

The number one reason that people adopt is to save a life and the statistics prove that it works. So why don’t more people adopt? Why don’t you?

How to Get the Best Adoption Experience

• Find out about the rescue organization.

• Is the organization a certified 501(c)(3) non-profit? If so, they are required to produce their financial report and IRS filings to anyone that asks for them. You can be reasonably certain that a 501(c)(3) rescue uses its donations solely for the care of the animals and not to pad their own pockets.

• What vets does the organization use? Get their names and call for references. Veterinary expenses are the single largest cost for rescues and those that try to cut costs always start here.

• How and where are the animals housed? Are they in cages or free-roaming around the foster homes? How many animals does each foster home have? If a rescue lists 70 cats on adoption sites on the web, but only has four foster homes, something is seriously wrong. Many rescuers start out with good intentions, but quickly become overwhelmed and are guilty of hoarding. Some foster homes can have conditions worse than that of the poorest shelter. Some foster homes are even investigated for and cited for animal cruelty because they have more animals than they can properly care for. Do some research on the rescue and if you don’t get clear answers, choose another source.

• Consider becoming a foster home. Rescues always need foster homes and you will learn all about the people and animals at the rescue.

• Trust the rescue staff to help you select the best companion.

• If you have done your research and found a rescue you can trust, then take it a step further and ask them to help match you up with the perfect pet. We know what all our cats are like. We know who jumps on the counters, who likes to pee in the bathtub when you’re not looking, and who steals food. We know who likes dogs and who doesn’t, who likes to run around with little kids, and who runs for the closet every time the doorbell rings. Let us learn about your family environment and help you pick out the companion that will be happy in your home and who will provide you with years of happiness in return. Don’t come asking for a “red tabby with a white bib and white feet.” It’s okay to give us your preferences, but please keep an open mind and be receptive to suggestions. You’re not picking out an appliance; you are picking out a best friend who will be with you for years. Take the time to make the right choice.

• Understand that even the best rescue can’t guarantee the health of the animal.

• Even the most fastidious rescues that don’t scrimp on vet visits can adopt out an animal that gets sick shortly after going to its new home. Many cat and kitten illnesses present no symptoms until the animal is stressed and the rescue may have no idea that the animal is not in the best of health.

• Reputable rescues will vaccinate for the most common illnesses and test for the more serious of the cat diseases (feline aids and feline leukemia) but we can’t always catch everything. On the bright side, the types of illness normally seen in recently adopted cats are easily treatable and can usually be handled by a single vet visit.