Last month, the American Kennel Club released findings of the most beloved dog breeds in NYC. But what about the pets that don’t find a home in the city? ANIMAL looked at data from NYC Animal Care & Control spanning from 2010 to 2014 and found some interesting things. The good news first: rates of euthanasia are declining every year for both dogs and cats. Approximately 35% fewer dogs and almost 45% fewer cats were euthanized in 2014 compared to 2010.
Then comes the bad news, especially for bunny and cat lovers. Despite the reduced number of animals euthanized, cats are still euthanized at higher rates than dogs. On average, more than twice as many cats are put down than dogs. For example, in the last five years 24,686 cats were euthanized in NYC — compared to 10,024 dogs. And, unlike the data from dogs and cats, the euthanasia rates for “other” animals — which is explained in the data as “generally rabbits” — show an upwards trend during the same time period.
Perhaps the most bizarre (and surprising) finding, though, is in the dog data: There is an increase in dogs killed in the months of July and August, but there is not an increase in intake of dogs into the shelters in those months. If you want to help out these animals, consider adopting here.
