Not long ago, `17 million abandoned dogs and cats were euthanized in the USA each year; today that number hovers around 5 million. Much of this is due to aggressive spay/neuter campaigns and city enforcements such as differential licensing fees that penalize unneutered pets or charge for permits to breed dogs.

The Humane Society of Utah found homes for 3,917 dogs last year and not one adoptable dog was euthanized. (no mention of the same statistics for felines)

*Adoptable can mean a healthy pet with no behavioral problems. Most open-door shelters do behavioral testing to eliminate some who are unlikely to be safely placed.