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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. NOTE: Statistics can vary based on source and year collected. Please refer to various research and sources for accuracy of data. NOTE: Facts and figures can be extremely helpful in understanding an industry, market conditions and animal issues — not only to those in the industry but to citizens and policy-makers. However, facts alone may not tell the entire story. See commentary at end of this page. NOTE: In 2012, The AVMA released the U.S. Pet Ownership & Demographics Sourcebook. LINK: https://www.avma.org/KB/Resources/Statistics/Pages/Market-research-statistics-US-Pet-Ownership-Demographics-Sourcebook.aspx The AVMA uses the following calculation to determine number of dogs or cats ‘owned’ by households in Minnesota
FACTS AND FIGURES 53% - Minnesota households who owned a pet in 2011 (places MN at 42nd for pet ownership in the nation) Source: 2012 U.S. Pet Ownership & Demographics Sourcebook, AVMA 31.9% - Minnesota households who have a canine Source: 2012 U.S. Pet Ownership & Demographics Sourcebook, AVMA 29.7% - Minnesota households who have a cat Source: 2012 U.S. Pet Ownership & Demographics Sourcebook, AVMA 63.2% - percentage of pet owners who consider their animals to be members of the family in 2011; this is up from 49.7% in 2006 74.1 million - estimated number of pet cats in the United States 70 million - estimated number of pet dogs in the United States $375 - average veterinary care expense per household for all pets in 2011 NOTE: Between 2006 and 2011, the precentage of pet owners who didn't visit a veterinarian at all rose 8 percent for those ith dogs, and 24 percent for cat owners. Source: 2012 U.S. Pet Ownership & Demograhics Sourcebook, AVMA 10,000 - estimated number of puppy mills in the U.S. (licensed and unlicensed) Source: HSUS Fact Sheet, 2013 2.15 million - estimated number of puppies sold annually who originated from puppy mills - USDA licensed and non-USDA licensed Source: HSUS Fact Sheet, 2013 3 million - estimated number of puppies euthanized by shelters every year in the U.S. Source: HSUS Fact Sheet, 2013 114,457 - estimated number of female dogs kept for breeding at USDA licensed facilties 2,024 - number of USDA Class A and B licensed facilities that breed dogs for the pet trade NOTE: For other Puppy Mill Fact and Figures: HSUS Fact Sheet 36 - number of USDA-licensed (Class A and Class B) dog/cat breeder and brokers in Minnesota as of 2013 - a drop of over 60% over past 6 years; many now sell over the Internet, which is unregulated by the USDA Unknown - number of total dog and cat breeders in Minnesota
OTHER FACTS AND FIGURES Dates of data belwo need to be verified; check source listed for updates. 7-9 million - approx. number of dogs acquired in the United States each year 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.) $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 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
FACTS AND FIGURES — ASPCA: How many pets are in the United States? How many animals are in shelters? The data below comes from: http://www.aspca.org/about-us/faq/pet-statistics.aspx NOTE: Date of research is not listed. Facts about U.S. Animal Shelters:
SOURCES There are a variety of sources to obtain data. A few to check:
COMMENTARY Animal People in April 2013 wrote the following. (See link below for full article.) “Published every five years,” says the AVMA promotional literature, “this report [U.S. Pet OWnership Demogrpahics Sourcebook, 2012 edition] provides statistical data on the population of pets in the United States, including dogs, cats, birds, horses, and other pets,” including “geographic breakdowns, detailed household characteristics comparing owners of pets with non-owners, and veterinary use and expenditures.” The executive summary to the U.S. Pet Ownership & Demographic Sourcebook, 2012 edition notes the first decline in pet-keeping in the U.S. to be documented in 85 years of studies known to ANIMAL PEOPLE––and probably the first decline in pet-keeping ever. The overall decline was modest, a mere 2.4%, but bird-keeping dropped by 20.5%, despite the soaring popularity of keeping backyard chickens; horse-keeping fell 16.7%; keeping exotic pets, rabbits, rodents, and reptiles dropped 16.5%; keeping cats fell 6.2%; and even keeping dogs declined by 1.9%. The U.S. Pet Ownership & Demographic Sourcebook delves only lightly into whys and wherefores. It notes, for example, that the popularity of keeping birds as pets has now fallen 46% in 20 years, without mentioning that this coincides with the passage of the Wild Bird Conservation Act of 1992, which cut off the supply of cheap parrots, parakeets, finches, and lovebirds who were then plentifully available even in department stores. A factor in the decline of cat-keeping may be the reduced numbers of feral-born kittens needing homes. A factor in the decline of dog-keeping may be the reduced availability of dogs other than pit bulls at animal shelters: 85% of dog-keepers indicated a preference for getting their next dog from a shelter (45%) or rescue group (40%). Another 10% preferred to pick up a stray. But while about 30% of the dogs entering shelters are pit bulls, according to annual ANIMAL PEOPLE surveys, only about 16% of adopters choose a pit bull. Among the more alarming findings reported in the U.S. Pet Ownership & Demographic Sourcebook, 2012 edition, attributed by the compilers to the depressed economy of recent years, is that “The percent of pet-owning households making no trip at all to the veterinarian in 2011 increased by 8% for dogs and a staggering 24% for cats.”
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