Companion Animals

Ohio State University researchers discovered that 71% of lost dogs are found, compared with 53% of lost cats, according to this study of one Ohio city. This difference between dogs and cats is likely due to Ohio animal control laws, which requires that dogs be licensed.

According to Ohio State University, ideas related to cat overpopulation in Ohio differ between rural and urban dwellers and also between cat owners and non-pet owners. In addition, about one quarter of Ohio households feed free-roaming cats, whether or not they are spayed or neutered.

Shelter statistics show that 13.5 million dogs and cats were euthanized in shelters in 1973, compared with 3-4 million in 2007. Tax and financial data on individual nonprofits and state population totals were used to calculate a per-capita donation figure, used here as benchmarks to assess the level of support for animal protection in each state.

A searchable database of crimes against animals documenting type of abuse, type of animal, and date. Incidents are recorded for the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, and Spain.

This USA Today article describes the impact that the United States mortgage lending crisis is having on companion animals, as the numbers of companions in shelters located in high foreclosure areas is on the rise.

University of Victoria scientists found that docking a dog's tail (cutting it short or off entirely) can make it more aggressive, likely because a tail is an important communication tool for dogs and their behavior is negatively affected without it.

This portion of the USDA National Agricultural Library is dedicated to companion animals and provides a bibliography of online resources related to various topics including pet food, spaying and neutering, pet travel, and various regulations.

A national survey of 665 pet owners released at the North American Veterinary Conference showed that if financial issues caused pet owners to curtail their monthly expenses, they are far more likely to cut back on luxury items, electronics -- and even groceries and household goods -- than on care or supplies for their pets.

This survey found that 66% of Japanese adults like pets, while 37% actually had pets. The survey also addressed the following issues: 1) reasons for having pet animals; 2) person owning them; 3) castration and sterilization operations; 4) reasons for not having them; 5) problems and troubles of having them; 6) having pet animals born overseas; 7) having them in apartment and condominium; and 8) reasons for ceasing to have them.

This 2006 survey of Ohio animal shelters shows an improvement (decline) in the number of dogs euthanized or taken into shelters, while the number of cats euthanized or taken into shelters has increased.