Puppies available for adoption in shelters and animal welfare organisations

Veterinary still have a lot left to do in the struggle against abandonment: animals are not just a fashion accessory.

Epitome of an abandoned animal

If we consider the influence of breed when analysing which animals are abandoned most frequently, the data speak for themselves. Most are mixed breeds, with proportions as high as 79.8% in dogs and 89.1% in cats.

Accordingly, 20.2% of dogs and 10.9% of cats found in shelters or welfare organisations are pure breeds.

In terms of size, almost half of dogs rescued (47.2%) are medium sized, compared with 26.8% for small breeds and 26.0% for large breeds. The proportion of large and medium-sized dogs in shelters is higher than in the general dog population, which could suggest that small dogs are abandoned or lost less frequently.

A third aspect to consider is age. Most animals are rescued as adults, followed by puppies and lastly senior animals.

Young animals are more likely to be adopted

According to last year’s data, puppies stay in shelters or animal welfare organisations for less time than older animals.

Adult animals spend an average of 7.2 months in shelters before being adopted, whereas puppies are adopted after 3.2 months. So puppies find a new home in less than half the time of adult animals.

These differences can be explained by the fact that lots of families find puppies available for adoption more appealing. This is due to the belief that puppies will adapt to the family unit more easily because they have not been trained yet.

Nothing, however, could be further from the truth; if the puppy is neither trained properly not eased into its new environment correctly, it could develop various behavioural problems. Hence the importance of running information campaigns that debunk this myth and promote the advantages of adopting a previously trained, adult dog or cat.