There are just about 70-80 million dogs and 74-96 million cats are owned in the United States. Approximately 37-47% of all households in the United States have a dog, and 30-37% have a cat.
There is an estimated 13,600 animal shelters in the U.S
Of the dogs entering shelters, nearly 35% are adopted, 31% are put down and 26% of dogs who came in as strays are returned to their owner.
Of the cats entering shelters, about 37% are adopted, 41% are put to sleep, and less than 5% of cats are returned to their previous owner.
(Source: APPA)
7.6 million companion animals enter shelters every nationwide. Around 3.9 million are dogs and 3.4 million are cats.
According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), roughly 40% of owners learned about their pet by asking around.