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issue > facts
Many of the facts below apply to inhumane dog and cat breeding throughout the United States, animal overpopulation or the pet industry in general. We are trying to gather more facts specific to Minnesota. The collection of data about dog and cat breeders and animal ‘production’ in Minnesota is difficult due to the fact that the State does not license this industry; therefore, measurements and accountability are minimal or non-existent. REQUEST: If you have the time, please help us with this research. If you have Minnesota-specific facts, send them our way. For each item, please cite one or two credible sources.
1,328,040 - Approximate number of dogs ‘owned’ by households in Minnesota; does not include dogs in breeding facilities, shelters, animal pounds or strays. Calculation based on AVMA estimates: 2,100,000 (approx. number of MN. households in 2008) x .372 = number of dog-owning households x 1.7 = number of dogs as pets in Minnesota 1,496,880 - Approximate number of cats ‘owned’ by households in Minnesota. Actual estimate: 2,910,600; does not include cats in breeding facilities, shelters, animal pounds or strays. Calculation based on AVMA: 2,100,000 (approx. number of MN. households in 2008) x .324 = number of cat-owning households x 2.2 = number of cats as pets in Minnesota 88 million - estimated number of cats in the United States 75 million - estimated number of dogs in the United States 7-9 million - approx. number of dogs acquired in the United States each year 3 million - approx. number of dogs sold annually that come from puppy mills 4-8 million - approx. number of unwanted animals euthanized in shelters every year 63% - percentage of U.S. households who own at least one pet (71 million homes), per 2007-2008 National Pet Owners Survey; up from 64 million homes 5 years ago 49.7% - percentage of pet owners (nearly half) who consider their animals to be members of the family in 2006 43% - percentage of dogs who sleep in same bed as their owners (Other studies report 60-80% of dogs share the same bed with their owner at night.) $24.5 billion - estimated veterinarian expenses for all pets in 2006; Americans spent $22.4 billion in 2001 (adjusted for inflation). $366 - average veterinary expenditure per household for all pets in 2006 $41 billion - estimated amount Americans spend per year on their pets (more than the gross domestic product of all but 64 countries in the world); expected to hit $52 billion in next two years. Includes food, vet care, supplies, grooming, boarding, live animal purchases, supplies, medicine, etc. two-thirds - number of pet-owning households that have more than one pet over 20% - number of pet-owning households who have at least five pets Unknown - number of total dog and cat breeders in Minnesota 7,360 - estimated number of puppy mills in the U.S. 5,197 - number of dog and cat breeders licensed by USDA in 2006 (of total 9,075 USDA-licensed facilities); up from approximately 4,500 USDA-licensed facilities in 2005. 441,600 - approx. number of dogs kept solely for breeding purposes in puppy mills across the U.S. 1,500 - number of USDA-licensed, high volume breeders in 2006 in Missouri 11,500-12,000 - approx. number of pet stores in the United States 3,500-3,700 - number of total U.S. pet stores that sell cats and dogs 300,000-400,000 - estimated number of puppies sold every year through pet stores, 27 - number of states and the District of Columbia who have enacted laws which establish some form of humane care standards for animals kept at pet shops and sold in a retail environment 200,000 - number of American families who bought puppies online in 2004 25%-30% - estimated number of animals euthanized in shelters who are purebred. In some regions, 50% are purebred. 3 - average number of litters a fertile cat can produce in one year; 4-6 average number of kittens in a feline litter 2 - average number of litters a fertile dog can produce in one year; 6-10 average number of puppies in a canine litter Over 56% - number of dogs and puppies entering shelters who are killed, based on reports from over 1,055 facilities across America. 4,000-6,000 - estimated number of animal shelters in the United States 38% - percentage of public who acquire pet from breeders or pet stores; 14% acquire from shelters; 48% get pets as strays, from friends or from animal rescuers 30% - percentage of dog guardians who are aware of pet-overpopulation problem 55% - percentage of dogs relinquished to U.S. animal shelters who were unaltered; 47% of surrendered cats were unaltered $16,400 - average cost of raising a medium-size dog to the age of eleven $2,100 - one-time costs for a dog, such as crate, spay-neuter, emergency vet care $2,500 - average annual costs for a dog’s food, grooming, vet check ups, pet-sitting fees, etc. Giant dogs: $3,321; medium dogs: $2,628; small dogs: $1,831 42.7% - percentage of pet owners who have a large dog; 22.5% own a medium dog; 11.7% own a tiny dog |
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