Fewer dogs are submitted to Ohio animal shelters and euthanized than 10 years ago but conversely, the number of cats turned in and euthanized during the same time has risen, according to a new study.
Based on data from Ohio shelters, researchers at Ohio State University found that the number of dogs taken in declined by 16 percent, while the number of stray cats arriving at shelters rose 20 percent.
Also, there was a 39 percent decline in dog euthanizations and a 14 percent increase for cats. The study results will appear in the July issue of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association.
Study author Linda Lord, a research fellow in veterinary preventive medicine, led a team that collected information from 165 animal care and control agencies in Ohio in 2004 and compared the answers with those from a similar study of shelters that they did in 1996.
They found that the number of shelters that spay or neuter their animals rose substantially since 1996 a trend that they said was probably responsible for some of the increase in the number of animals, especially dogs, who were adopted.
About 63,700 dogs were adopted in 2004, compared with 51,600 in 1996. Nearly 40,000 cats were adopted in 2004, up from an estimated 29,400 in 1996.
The researchers also found that the cost of running an animal shelter had increased considerably since 1996. Ohio animal care and control agencies spent almost $58 million in 2004, compared with $34 million in 1996.
Posted: July 7, 2006, 5:00 a.m. EST