FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                      CONTACT: Dominic Perrone

January 20, 2005                                                                       734-260-6048 or perroned9@michigan.gov

Online tool now available for animal shelters to report data

2003 data on adoptions, sales and euthanasia released

Michigan Department of Agriculture Director Dan Wyant today announced an online form for animal shelters to submit information about the cats, dogs and ferrets who pass through their facilities each year.  This form will make it easier for shelters to submit the information required annually under Michigan law, and will give the state a clearer picture of the progress being made in addressing pet overpopulation in our state.

“Pet overpopulation has historically been very hard to measure, and it has also been difficult to gauge whether animals that were euthanized were adoptable,” said Wyant.  “By simplifying the data reporting method for animal shelters, we hope to increase compliance with reporting requirements and get more accurate information about overall pet populations across our state.”

By law, licensed animal shelters must submit data on the number of cats, dogs and ferrets who have been admitted to the shelter, whether they were spayed or neutered, and how they were discharged from the shelter (adopted, returned to owner, sold, euthanized, etc.).  The 2004 data is due to MDA by March 31, 2005.

To make it easier for animal shelters to submit the required information, an electronic reporting form has been posted on MDA’s Web site at www.michigan.gov/mda.  Animal shelters should select “licensing, certification and registration,” then “animal,” followed by “Animal Shelters.”  MDA also encourages animal shelters to help gather other important information by completing a short survey, available at www.michigan.gov/healthwatch, password: stray.

Results of an extensive telephone survey done last year regarding 2003 cat and dog admission and submission are now available online.  This report helped establish a baseline for comparing future data.  By consistently maintaining these statistics, MDA and animal shelters will be able to better determine whether efforts to control pet populations are working.

“MDA and people in the pet community would much rather see animals adopted than euthanized,” said Dr. Steve Halstead, Michigan’s State Veterinarian and Director of MDA’s Animal Industry Division. “We will continue to work with animal shelters to decrease unwanted pet populations through encouraging spaying and neutering, and promoting adoption opportunities.”

According to the survey, 140,653 dogs and 134,405 cats were discharged from 176 licensed facilities in 2003.  Of these, 40 percent of dogs and 57 percent of cats discharged were euthanized.  These statistics include euthanized animals that were old, sick, aggressive or otherwise not adoptable even under the best circumstances. This represents 2.6 percent and 3.1 percent of the estimated statewide populations of dogs and cats, respectively. 

Also during 2003, 28 percent of dogs and 24 percent of cats discharged from animal shelters were adopted.  Smaller shelters had higher adoption rates, and private shelters had higher adoption rates compared to those operated by local governments.  No differences were seen between rural and urban shelters in rates of adoption and euthanasia.

For more information, contact the MDA Animal Industry Division at (517) 373-1077.

# # #

(This news release may also be viewed online at www.michigan.gov/mda.)