The New Jersey 2017 Animal Intake and Disposition Summary is in. Out of a total of 82,783 cats and dogs impounded in the state during 2017, the number either redeemed or adopted was 53,305 and 11,071 were euthanized.
Looking back, we can see the trend over the years:
2017: 30
2016: 42
2015: 46
2014: 58
2013: 64
2012: 73
2011: 85
2010: 88
2009: 96
That’s an average of 30 per day.
These numbers have dropped each year for the last several years. Those are all positive strides in the right direction! There is always more work to be done, however, as long as any cats or dogs are being euthanized! You have to know where you have been and where you are now in order to know where you need to go.
Below are:
- the 2017 New Jersey statistics by county, published by the New Jersey Department of Health, Infectious and Zoonotic Disease Program
- the 1984-2017 Stray Animal Intake and Disposition Survey (Dogs and Cats) for the state of New Jersey, and
- a chart that breaks down the numbers to show averages and percentages to compare by year from 2009 through 2017
Please click thumbnails to see full documents.
At left is a line graph showing total numbers of animals impounded (blue), adopted or redeemed (green), euthanized (red), and unaccounted* (yellow), from 2009 through 2017. (Click thumbnail to see larger image.) The green and red lines are gradually moving further from each other. That gap should become wider and wider!
(*”Unaccounted” can mean many things, depending on how shelters keep their records. It could be animals transferred to other shelters in NJ or in other states, transferred as barn cats, pulled by rescues, etc. The numbers that are most important are for those euthanized and adopted. The number impounded is lower, and that is good. That is likely due to the effectiveness of spay/neuter education and programs.)
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See statistics from other years.
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