There are urgent matters at stake: more than 100,000 treatable and adoptable dogs and cats are killed every year in Australia. With the right knowledge, strategies and actions these animals could lead full, happy lives. 

Did you know that euthanasia is less dependent on age, breed or health of the animal, and more dependent on which shelter or pound the pet enters. Euthanasia rates vary staggeringly from pound to pound. For example, euthanasia rates for cats vary from 11% to 95%, and for dogs from 3% to 55%, depending on the shelter or pound.

Although there are leaders implementing best practices, there are clearly still laggards. For stray or lost pets admitted to certain shelters, it is a death sentence.

To prove it is possible, take Jacksonville Animal Control, located in Florida, USA. Having to cope with a mammoth 34,000 animals, it killed 23,000. Lacking knowledge, it was no surprise. However, 10 years later, after a name change to Jacksonville Animal Care and Protection, and introducing a range of strategies aimed at reducing intake and increasing adoptions, only 6% of dogs and cats are euthanased.

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