On average, there are over 70 million dogs, and 85 million cats owned by citizens of the United States. Of the pet owning households, 43% claim to own more than one pet. These facts may seem to be less astounding because pets are “family” to many households, but, what happens when pets are no longer wanted or needed. Where do they go? The answer is animal shelters all over the country. Of 1000 animal shelters surveyed by the National Council, more than half of the animals, or 3.8 million in 2008, were euthanized due to overcrowding (Animal Shelter Euthanasia). Overcrowding according to, “The Free Dictionary” is defined by: The act of filling past capacity or the state of being filled past capacity or comfort. This happens in both household
