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Here are notable statistics pertaining to four major areas of interest to animal care and control agencies: pet ownership, pet overpopulation, sources of pets, and dog bites.

PET OWNERSHIP

  • Percentage of households owning cats: 34
  • Number of households owning cats: 34.7 million
  • Number of owned cats: 73 million
  • Percentage of households owning dogs: 39
  • Number of households owning dogs: 40 million
  • Number of owned dogs: 73 million
  • Number of households owning reptiles or amphibians in 2000: 3.9 million
  • Percentage increase in the number of U.S. households owning reptiles or amphibians between 1994 and 2000: More than 40

Source: National Pet Owners Survey 2001-2002, American Pet Products Manufacturers Association. The survey was conducted in 2000 using a series of mail-in questionnaires.

PET OVERPOPULATION

  • Number of cats and dogs entering shelters each year: 8-10 million
  • Number of cats and dogs euthanized by shelters each year: 4-5 million
  • Number of cats and dogs adopted from shelters each year: 3-5 million
  • Number of cats and dogs reclaimed by owners from shelters each year: 600,000-750,000
  • Percentage of dogs in shelters who are purebred: 25

Source: Estimates from The Humane Society of the United States.

SOURCES OF PETS

  • Percentage of Owners Who Acquired Cats:
  • From Friend/Relative: 39
  • As Strays: 29
  • From Animal Shelter: 20
  • As Kitten of Own Cat: 14
  • From Newspaper/Private Party: 9
  • From Pet Store: 5
  • As Gifts: 5
  • From Breeder: 5
  • From Veterinarian: 4
  • Other: 5
  • Percentage of Owners Who Acquired Dogs:
  • From Friend/Relative: 33
  • From Breeder: 24
  • From Animal Shelter: 20
  • From Newspaper/Private Party: 16
  • From Pet Store: 9
  • As Strays: 8
  • As Gifts: 6
  • As Puppy of Own Dog: 6
  • From Veterinarian: 1
  • Other: 4

Source: National Pet Owners Survey 2001-2002, American Pet Products Manufacturers Association. The survey was conducted in 2000 using a series of mail-in questionnaires.

DOG BITES

  • Number of people bitten by dogs each year: 4.5 million, or nearly 2% of the U.S. population
  • Number of people killed by dog attacks each year: Between 10 and 20

Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.