A Project of Animal People, Inc., 1992-2013
From ANIMAL PEOPLE, July/August 2011:
Training Your Dog the Humane Way
by Alana Stevenson
New World Library
(14 Pameron Way, Novato, CA 94949), 2011.
194 pages paperback. $15.95.
Training Your Dog the Humane Way, by Alana Stevenson, squeezes into a crowded market of training manuals, but stands out for emphasizing non-violent methods. Stevenson doesn’t believe in the use of shock collars, or the spiked collars often seen on bully breeds. Read more
From ANIMAL PEOPLE, July/August 2011: Much of the international animal control data offered below was collected by the United Nations Food & Agricultural Organization during an online expert consultation conducted in mid-2010. The United Kingdom data was collected by the eighth annual Dogs Trust survey of U.K. dog wardens, and does not include dogs who are killed after surrender to nonprofit humane societies--probably about half of the actual total of dogs killed by U.K. shelters. The remainder was collected by ANIMAL PEOPLE, in the same manner as the accompanying U.S. data. Only the Canadian and Japanese totals include cats, who are not commonly impounded in the other nations whose data is presented. Nepal officially no longer kills dogs for animal control purposes Many of the differences in the rates of animal control dog killing from nation to nation are attributable to differences in national ratios of dogs to humans. Known dogs-to-people ratios in the listed nations include: Canada 1/10; Japan 1/13; Ukraine 1/15; United Kingdom 1/9. The FAO believes the global ratio to be 1/16. Ratios of dogs killed for animal control to total dogs among the listed nations include: Canada 1/237; Japan 1/321; Ukraine 1/5; U.K. 1/1,060; U.S. 1/46. Animals killed YEAR 1,000s Animals per 1,000 people of people killed ________________________________________ Belgium 0.5 2008 10,414 5,447 Canada 4.2 2010 33,487 141,200 Ireland 1.6 2010 4,203 6,500 Japan 2.4 2009 129,357 310,457 Kyrgyzstan 1.8 2010 5,432 10,000 Nepal 10.9 2000 23,151 252,345 Pakistan 5.7 2010 175,578 1,000,795 Ukraine 13.2 2004 45,700 603,240 U.K. 0.1 2010 61,113 6,404
From ANIMAL PEOPLE, July/August 2011:
The 18th annual ANIMAL PEOPLE analysis of U.S. shelter exit
data has confirmed that the encouraging findings of the 17th analysis
were no fluke: U.S. shelters are now killing fewer cats and dogs per
1,000 Americans than at any time since relevant data first was
published, early in the 20th century. The total numbers of cats and
dogs killed are the lowest in more than 50 years.
However, while the 2011 ANIMAL PEOPLE survey found that the
cat toll fell by about 207,700 from the 2010 survey data, a 10%
improvement, the dog toll increased by about 76,500.
From ANIMAL PEOPLE, July/August 2011:
Animals killed YEAR 1,000s Animals
per 1,000 people of people killed
________________________________________________
Brookhaven, NY 1.0 2009 500 475
Tompkins County, NY 1.3 2009 102 128
New York City 1.7 2009 8,300 14,027
NEW HAMPSHIRE 1.9 2009 1,325 2,495
Buffalo/Erie 6.5 2009 919 5,940
________________________________________________
NORTHEAST (32%) 2.1 34,876 72,800
New Castle/Sussex, DE 1.2 2009 727 880
Delaware County, PA 4.2 2009 558 2,321
NEW JERSEY 4.4 2008 8,866 37,673
Huntingdon Cty, PA 5.0 2008 46 231
Philadelphia 10.5 2008 1,611 15,286
Cumberland Cnty, NJ 15.4 2009 158 2,427
________________________________________________
MID-ATLANTIC (42%) 4.7 28,770 134,264
Broward County 7.3 2008 1,751 12,782
Dekalb County, GA 7.4 2009 737 5,462
Cobb County, GA 8.5 2009 698 5,958
Miami/Dade County 9.5 2009 2,297 21,896
Gwinnette Cty, GA 9.8 2009 776 7,608
Palm Beach County 10.8 2010 1,280 13,682
VIRGINIA 11.3 2009 7,883 88,730
Jacksonville, FL 11.7 2010 808 9,500
Pinellas Cty, FL 12.0 2010 917 11,000
Manatee County, FL 13.6 2008 316 4,294
Alachua Cty, FL 14.4 2009 240 3,459
Tampa region 16.5 2009 1,205 19,326
St. Lucie Cty, FL 17.4 2008 278 4,849
NORTH CAROLINA 19.9 2009 9,535 190,626
Clay County, FL 20.2 2010 187 3,778
Clayton County, GA 23.4 2009 272 6,257
Robeson Count, NC 34.6 2009 130 4,500
Macon, GA 46.0 2009 93 4,278
________________________________________________
SO. ATLANTIC (63%) 14.2 46,026 663,468
Louisville 13.0 2008 722 9,368
Nashville 16.0 2009 626 10,000
Grant County, KY 19.9 2009 22 438
Memphis 20.0 2008 671 13,416
Kanawha/Charleston 21.3 2010 304 6,474
Loudon/Monroe, TN 70.1 2009 94 6,635
________________________________________________
APPALACHIA (16%) 19.0 15,453 289,569
Animals killed YEAR 1,000s Animals
per 1,000 people of people killed
________________________________________________
Plano, TX 5.3 2009 268 1,430
Richardson, TX 9.4 2009 102 957
Dallas 11.7 2008 2,346 27,355
Austin/Travis County 11.9 2008 921 10,916
Jefferson Parish 16.9 2008 456 7,720
San Antonio/Bexar 19.6 2008 1,329 17,441
Mobile 22.1 2009 406 8,971
Madison County 23.2 2009 335 7,766
Birmingham 24.2 2010 658 15,907
Garland, TX 25.0 2009 226 5,651
El Paso 25.5 2010 751 19,110
Caddo Parish 26.1 2009 253 6,600
Waco/McLennan County 27.0 2008 230 6,204
Brownsville 28.4 2009 176 5,000
Tuskaloosa, AL 31.1 2009 178 6,019
Baldwin County, AL 34.5 2009 174 4,905
Calhoun County, AL 35.9 2008 119 4,275
Mesquite, TX 41.6 2009 132 5,488
Hattiesburg area 46.9 2010 149 6,981
Amarillo 58.8 2009 187 11,000
Odessa/Ector Cty. 71.4 2008 132 9,423
________________________________________________
GULF COAST (24%) 20.5 37,426 721,717
Vigo County, IN 1.2 2009 108 130
Parke-Vermillion, IN 1.5 2009 17 25
St. Charles Cty., MO 2.4 2009 349 820
Oakland County, MI 2.6 2009 1,202 3,125
Dane County, WI 3.8 2009 477 1,797
Duluth 4.0 2009 86 344
Livingston Cty, MI 5.9 2009 183 1,084
St. Louis 5.9 2009 356 2,105
Chicago 6.7 2008 2,851 19,228
Jefferson Cty., MO 8.5 2009 224 1,900
Dayton/Montgomery 10.1 2009 538 5,431
Kansas City, MO 10.9 2008 452 4,912
Quad Cities, IL-IA 12.7 2009 312 3,944
Calhoun County, MI 14.5 2008 136 1,965
Sangamon Cty, IL 14.7 2008 195 2,857
Detroit metro area 15.1 2010 1,217 18,364
Genesee County, MI 18.9 2009 424 8,000
Tulsa 18.9 2009 386 7,303
Ft. Wayne/Allen Cty. 29.3 2009 351 10,282
Shelby County, IN 29.4 2008 44 1,293
________________________________________________
MIDWEST (14%) 10.1 70,678 677,925
Animals killed YEAR 1,000s Animals
per 1,000 people of people killed
________________________________________________
Montrose, CO 2.5 2009 16 383
Reno/Washoe 3.5 2009 414 1,453
Quad/Yavapai, AZ 3.7 2011 146 533
Weld County, CO 6.2 2009 244 1,500
Denver metro area 6.9 2009 2,700 18,591
Montrose, CO 10.9 2008 16 179
UTAH 11.9 2009 2,784 38,023
Phoenix/Maricopa 13.9 2009 3,817 52,991
NEVADA 14.4 2009 2,643 38,163
Las Vegas/Clark Cty 14.4 2009 2,000 28,937
Tucson 25.3 2008 1,014 25,600
Mohave County, AZ 33.5 2009 200 6,709
Clovis, NM 48.9 2009 37 1,821
________________________________________________
WEST/ROCKIES (72%) 16.0 22,065 353,968
San Francisco 1.3 2009 815 1,031
Washington Cty, OR 1.3 2009 537 685
Irvine, CA 1.4 2010 213 300
Sonoma County 1.5 2009 484 719
Berkeley 1.6 2009 113 184
Whidbey Island, WA 2.2 2009 60 132
Seattle 3.1 2010 603 1,893
Los Angeles city 5.1 2009 3,834 19,561
Santa Barbara Cty. 5.3 2008 405 2,136
San Diego city/county 5.8 2010 3,095 18,063
Portland/Multnomah 6.1 2009 2,049 12,500
Santa Clara County 6.8 2009 1,782 12,073
Contra Costa County 7.3 2008 1,049 7,609
Clallam County, WA 10.0 2009 71 708
Monterey County, CA 13.6 2008 415 5,659
CALIFORNIA 10.9 2008 36,757 400,000
San Bernardino Cty 15.5 2009 2,061 32,000
Spokane 16.8 2008 463 7,824
Lodi 21.8 2008 62 1,353
Kern/Bakersfield 22.7 2010 824 18,701
Fresno 35.0 2009 942 33,000
________________________________________________
PACIFIC (81%) 10.4 49,880 522,264
U.S. TOTAL 11.3 308,144 3,483,184
(The regional and national totals appearing in bold are
proportionately weighted estimates. The figure in parenthesis is the
percentage of the regional human population living within the shelter
service areas from which the totals come.)
From ANIMAL PEOPLE, July/August 2011:
(The year stated from 1997 to present is the mid-year of a three-year
survey interval.)
Year Millions of dogs Killed per
& cats killed 1,000 humans
1950 2.0 13.5
1970 23.4 115.0
1985 17.8 74.8
1997 4.9 21.1
1998 4.9 19.4
1999 4.5 16.6
2000 4.5 16.8
2001 4.4 15.7
2002 4.2 15.3
2003 4.5 14.8
2004 4.9 17.4
2005 4.4 14.8
2006 4.0 13.6
2007 4.2 13.8
2008 3.6 11.6
2009 3.4 11.3
From ANIMAL PEOPLE, July/August 2011:
LEFT–Dogs Deserve Better founder Tamara Ci Thayne and
longtime anti-chaining campaign supporter Joe Horvath were married on
June 20, 2011 on the Pennsylvania State Capitol steps in Harrisburg,
concluding Thayne’s annual “chain-off” demonstration in pursuit of a
state law prohibiting dog tethering as a primary means of
confinement. Thayne, who has chained herself to doghouses in public
places every summer since 2004, spent 52 days in 2010 chained in
front of the Pennsylvania State Capitol. Thayne and Horvath were
joined at the 2011 demo by about 75 other protesters, 25 of whom
also spent the day chained to doghouses.
From ANIMAL PEOPLE, July/August 2011:
HARRISBURG–Jesse Smith, heading the Pennsylvania Bureau of
Dog Law Enforcement since 2006, was on June 15, 2011 transferred to
the Office of Chief Counsel, where she said she would be “putting
together a USDA-sponsored agricultural mediation program.”
Replacing Smith, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture
secretary George D. Greig announced, is Lynn Diehl. Greig
introduced Diehl as “a lifelong animal lover with a magnitude of
management skills.” Greig also announced that Pennsylvania Governor
Tom Corbett is “transitioning the Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement to
the Dog Law Enforcement Office. The office will report directly to
the department’s Executive Deputy Secretary Mike Pechart,” Greig
said, “ensuring its functions are handled at the highest level.”
Read more
From ANIMAL PEOPLE, July/August 2011:
WASHINGTON D.C.–The title of Horse Welfare: Action Needed
to Address Unintended Consequences from Cessation of Domestic
Slaughter hints at the conclusions and recommendations that the
Government Accountability Office report offered to Congress on June
23, 2011.
But the GAO report includes numerous acknowledgements of a
lack of data supporting the conclusions and recommendations. Failing
to discover and use data collected by the humane community about
trends in horse neglect and abandonment, including data collected by
ANIMAL PEOPLE and Pet-Abuse.com which is readily available online,
the GAO authors relied heavily on unsubstantiated anecdotal claims by
sources within the horse and livestock industries, including 17
state veterinarians whose duties are primarily to facilitate horse
and livestock commerce.
From ANIMAL PEOPLE, June 2011:
AUSTIN, SAN ANTONIO–The Texas House of Representatives on
May 4, 2011 approved by a vote of 123 to 7 a bill which could send
the keepers of a dog who kills a child or a senior citizen to prison
for life.
Assigned to the Texas Senate criminal justice committee on
May 5, the bill appeared to be unlikely to advance before the May 30
close of the Texas legislative session, but appeared to have public
as well as political favor, and–if stalled–is likely to be
reintroduced in the next session.