I know that I have told all of you, in my past blog posts, why I started this blog about saving stray animals. As a refresher, I have started it because of the amount of strays that I have seen in my recent travels to Florida and the Southern Caribbean. Where I am from, it is not as common to see that many but I know they exist. Since I don’t see stray animals on a daily basis, I never cared to pay too much attention to helping them. However, after reading statistics on the number of stray animals that exist in the U.S., it is hard to ignore the issue.
The Stats
Q: How many animals enter shelters every year?
A: 7.6 million animals
Q: How many of those animals are cats? How many are dogs?
A: 3.4 million cats, 3.9 million dogs
Q: How many of these animals are euthanized (put to sleep) each year?
A: 2.7 million animals are euthanized each year
Q: How many stray animals are returned to their owners each year?
A: Approximately 8% of animals
I have provided a chart to visually break down the percentages of stray dogs and cats:
Stray Dogs and Cats Statistics Chart
How to Help
Seeing the above statistics, you may want to know how to get involved, and here’s how!
1). Learn how to report animal cruelty
Every state is different, so keep phone numbers of police officers and vets handy in case you spot something that should be reported
2). Start a neighborhood watch program
Get together with your neighbors and start a task force in order to keep an eye on each animal and their owners in case of any suspicious activity
The above link will provide you with all of the necessary information that you need to volunteer at a local shelter near you.
4). Become an animal activist
5). Help your neighbors take care of their pets
If you see a neighbor in need of help with their furry children, offer them a hand.
Lend a hand to help a paw!
6). Promote spaying and neutering
A huge reason why there are millions of stray animals across the U.S. are because of the lack of spayed/neutered animals.
Help the cause, and spay/neuter your paws!
Note: Please feel free to contact me with any questions on how to get involved in your area.
Save the Strays 
Samantha, I love this blog entry! I am a huge supporter of helping stray animals. I have 4 cats at home, so your blog topic hits me personally. I had a stray cat come around my house for about a few days; the following day, when I saw it again, it was apparent that the cat did not have a home. I called my sister (who works as a vet techician) and she came and brought the cat into her work. Later we found a home for him. It was the greatest feeling knowing that I had made a difference in probably saving his life.
Your post does a great job relating to people; they can easily draw personal experiences to which you are writing about, which is a great way in creating relationships within your audience. I love how you incorporated a photo of yourself helping some stray cats. It shows your audience that you are actively involved. Great use of statistical information too. What I really liked was how you reached out to your audience and how you are willing to help them get involved in their areas. Fantastic job!!!
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Love this post. It gives valuable information and a few teasers that encouraged me to click and read the attached link. It was well laid out and easy to digest. Thank you for putting out a blog that provided helpful hints of how one can help and a large dose of reality to the plights of animals in the shelter.
Anita
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