Roughly, 70 million cats are homeless in the United States. Only 10% of dogs born will find a permanent home. Around 3.9 million dogs are abandoned or given up to shelters each year.

The number of animals killed in shelters across the US increased from 347,000 to 355,000 in 2021. On average 1.5 million shelter animals are euthanized every year in United States ONLY!

Stray animals are likely to be thirsty, hungry and exposed to extreme weather conditions. Without veterinary care, shelter and food they will sooner or later become sick and die

Pets are either dumped on the streets, left alone in vacant properties or remote areas, or dropped off to animal shelters. This can particularly be seen during the holiday season when some pets have been bought as presents and then are abandoned when the winter holidays are over.

Dumping a pet is the worst case of abandonment. The animals are left confused and even injured. At first, they do not know what is happening to them and it is likely they think they have done something wrong, for which they are being punished. Some people tie dogs to trees, benches, even bins, railway lines, and so on.

One way you can help is to have your pets spayed or neutered, this will help reduce the number of homeless pets and animals in shelters, which will lead to less animals euthanized each year. Spaying or neutering also has health and behavioral benefits for your pet.

A person commits the crime of animal abandonment if the person intentionally, knowingly or recklessly or with criminal negligence leaves a domesticated animal at a location without providing for that animal's continued care

The term "abandoned" means to forsake entirely, or to neglect or refuse to provide or perform the legal obligations for care and support of an animal by its owner or the owner's agent. Abandonment constitutes the relinquishment of all rights and claims by the owner to the animal.

For cruelty convictions involving depriving an animal of food or water, abandoning an animal, transporting an animal in a cruel manner, injuring someone else’s animal, and overworking an animal, the defendant will be punished with a Class A misdemeanor, which may include a fine up to $4,000, jail time up to a year, or both.

In nearly all 50 states, "abandoning" an animal is classified as animal abuse, a criminal offense. In the state of Massachusetts, for example, it's considered a felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine up to $2,500.

A total of 38,087 abandonment reports were made to the charity's cruelty line last year - an average of over 3,000 reports a month, 104 a day or four abandoned animals every hour. Heartbreakingly, the number of animals being dumped is also on the rise with a 17% increase from 2020 to 2021 and a 24% increase in 2022.