PA W S A N D C L A W S
by: Stephen Appelbaum - President, Animal Behavior College Inc.
The Animal Shelter Dilemma Can Pet Training Help to Solve this National Problem?
T
oday, more than ever before, people have pets! According to the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), pet ownership has tripled since the 1970s, increasing from roughly 67 million households with pets to 164 million. The HSUS also illustrates the darker side of the humanpet ownership equation citing the fact that 3 to 4 million dogs and cats are euthanized in animal shelters every year.
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In many parts of the country, the economic down turn that started in 2008/9 hasn't let up, or the recovery has been slow. When faced with the choice of putting food on the table or caring for their pets, many people wind up relinquishing the latter. Others who are faced with pet medical bills they can't afford must make the same traumatic deci-