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Sterilizing Pets isn't a Priority for New Owners

 
Submitted on Jan 13, 2010 (Original item from 2009) | |
by PetSmart Charities
More Information...

Short Description:
A national survey of companion animal owners, including those who have acquired a dog or cat in the last year, questioned owners about pet sterilization; 48% of the dogs and cats acquired who were unsterilized when acquired still had not been sterilized at the time of the survey.

Abstract:
About 38% of companion animal owners aged 18 to 34 years old have not sterilized their pets; nearly one-quarter (24%) of those 55 and older also had not done so. As a result, 13% of all dog owners and 19% of all cat owners ended up with litters, more than half of them unintentional.
Many pet owners seem to be unaware of the issues of pet overpopulation; 62% of 18 to 34 year-olds and 47% of the 55 and older respondents estimated that fewer than 1 million animals are euthanized each year, while 28% believe it is 100,000 or less.
Owners also seem to be confused regarding the age at which a companion animal should be sterilized; 17% do not know what the proper age is for sterilization, while 42% said it is 6 months and 14% said it is 9 months.

Owners acquired their dogs and/or cats from the following sources:

  • Own litter (5%)
  • Pet store (8%)
  • Purebreed breeder (12%)
  • Stray (19%)
  • Adoption organization or shelter (24%)
  • Family member (25%)
  • Other (7%)

Following are the reasons that pet owners chose not to spay/neuter:

  • Pet is too young (34%)
  • Too expensive (31%)
  • Haven't gotten around to it (24%)
  • Didn't feel it was necessary (14%)
  • Want to breed pet (7%)
  • Not natural (6%)
  • Concerned about impact on pet's personality (4%)
  • Deprive pet of natural life (4%)
http://www.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/pets/2010-01-13-petsu...

Spot Check Number: 1264
Sponsor: PetSmart Charities
Researcher/Author: Ipsos Marketing
Animal Type: Dogs, Cats, Companion Animals
Record Type: News Article
Research Method: Unknown or Not Applicable
Geographic Region: United States National
Number of Participants: 3,000
Population Descriptors: U.S. Adults
Year Conducted: 2009
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Related items on HumaneSpot.org:

More information on this survey

Submitted by michayr on Wed, 2010-01-20 11:10.

PetSmart Charities has made the full report on this survey publicly available online.

The report and a webinar presentation on the results can be found on their research landing page: http://petsmartcharities.org/research/

Or the PDF can be downloaded from:
http://petsmartcharities.org/research/docs/PetSmartCharities_Research_AUBarriers.pdf

Micha Rieser
Policy Research Analyst
Alley Cat Allies

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Re: More information on this survey

Submitted by HRC Admin on Wed, 2010-01-20 11:17.
Thank you, Micha. We will be combining the newly released information with this citation in the near future.
»

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