Purebred Rescue Dog Adoption
Rewards and Realities
Chapter One
Too Many Dogs and Not
Enough Homes
In 2001, more than 55 percent of all American homes had at least one
dog or cat, with a total of more than 60 million pet dogs in the United
States, according to the Pet Food Institute. This group's report has been
called the census of pet populations in the United States, and has
tracked an increase in pet ownership over the past 20 years; in 1981,
there were 54 million dogs in this country. This increase of six million
dogs over two decades is somewhat deceiving, however, because it
measures neither the number of dogs who have lost their homes, nor
those who have been put to death because they had no homes.
Relinquished Dogs
Although actual numbers vary from survey to survey, most experts
agree that each year at least 25 percent of all dog-owning households
will give up a dog. Dogs are given up for a variety of reasons; here are
some of the more common ones:
Moving, didn't want to take dog
Moving to a place where dogs were not allowed
Military owner transferred overseas
Divorce
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