Files
Download Full Text (1.4 MB)
Abstract
The last decade (2000-2010) has seen a substantial increase in funding for pet sterilization and adoption programs. There also has been a proliferation of legislative attempts to reduce shelter overpopulation. Progress, though, has been slow and halting, compared to the steady and sustained progress of the previous two decades: Without data-driven programs, future efforts to eradicate the use of population control euthanasia will continue to involve trial and error, with the delays and inefficiencies that entails. Data from jurisdictions that have made the greatest progress suggest that shelter euthanasia rates can be reduced from the current level of about 14 Pets Per Thousand People (PPTP) to 3 PPTP or less. At the current rate of progress, it will take another two decades or more to fully eradicate shelter overpopulation in the United States. Accomplishing that more quickly will require an increased commitment to the development and implementation of evidence-based programs. A twenty-five page appendix lists important articles and summarizes their main points for easy review.
Country
United States of America - 840
Publication Date
6-2010
Publisher
Peter Marsh
City
Concord, NH
Keywords
Animal sheltering, euthanasia, intake, evidence-based
Disciplines
Life Sciences | Other Animal Sciences | Population Biology
Recommended Citation
P. Marsh (2010) Replacing Myth with Math
