From ANIMAL PEOPLE,  July/August 2003:

Continued rapid progress against pet overpopulation in some
of the fastest-growing parts of the South,  the Sunbelt and the
Midwest combined with continued low shelter killing volume in the
Northeast and Northwest to bring estimated total U.S. shelter killing
in 2002 down to 4.2 million–a record low.
Our 2002 estimate is projected from 2000-2002 data covering
every major shelter in cities and states including 39% of the current
U.S. human population of 281 million.
If 1999 data is included to get better representation from
the South,  Sunbelt,  and Midwest,  the projection edges up to 4.3
million.  The ANIMAL PEOPLE projected toll in 2001 was 4.4 million,
and the tolls in 1999 and 2000 were almost identical,  rounding off
to 4.5 million and 4.6 million.

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From ANIMAL PEOPLE,  June 2003:

VICTOR,  Montana–Scarce funding may doom
the Montana Spay/Neuter Task Force,  founder Jean
Atthowe told ANIMAL PEOPLE in early June
2003–but,  characteristic of the optimism that
impelled Atthowe to form the Task Force in 1996,
she added that lack of resources may expedite the
transition of the work to community management.
This would fulfill her initial ambition for the project.
“From November 1996 through October
2002,”  Atthowe said,  “the Task Force has helped
to create 46 pet care events with local hosts,
and has provided spay/neuter surgeries for over
15,000 Montana dogs and cats.  The Task Force has
visited all seven Native American nations in
Montana from one to four times each,”  as well as
many small towns in remote locations which often
do not even have a local veterinarian.

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