20 February 2016
Nobody knows for certain the total number of cats and dogs on planet Earth. The reason nobody knows is very simple. In places where these animals live outside a home, and in places where they are not under population control or are not protected, statistics do not exist.
Even in countries where these animals are considered household pets, the statistics are reported mainly by the pet food industry, and are therefore not completely reliable since they have direct business interests in the size of the domestic pet population. There are approximately 45-million household dogs in the USA alone. Based on this number, experts believe there are approximately 73-million dogs in total in the USA. The sheer number of total worldwide dog births, whether natural or due to breeding is unimaginable. Because of this overpopulation, killing these animals has become a form of population control. This is barbaric and inhumane. However, animal welfare organizations around the world champion a different solution. A solution that saves generation after generation of animals. Spaying and neutering are not only ways of saving the life of a living dog, but also ways of saving the lives of dogs that are yet to be born. These techniques also allow animal welfare groups to dedicate more resources to taking care of those that are ill, old, or disabled. Let’s be the saviors of all of these dogs by spaying and neutering our pets.
