The Fight to End Stray Dog Suffering

Did you know there are like 600 million stray dogs and cats around the world? That’s a huge number! In Greece, there are about 3 million homeless dogs and cats, even though there are only 11 million people living there. And in India, there are around 60-70 million stray dogs, and they have over 1 billion people. Basically, there are three main reasons for this: dogs get lost, people abandon them, or some are born as strays.

First off, let’s talk about lost dogs. A survey from the ASPCA says that around 15% of pet owners have lost their dog or cat in the last five years. Also, about 30% of dogs in shelters are actually lost pets. That’s a lot of pets that get lost and end up in shelters. So, to stop this, there are ways to make sure your pets don’t get lost.

Microchipping, ID tags, and lost pet databases are super important. If you’re a responsible pet owner, you should get your dog microchipped. It’s a tiny chip, the size of a grain of rice, that gets put under their skin. This chip has a unique number that helps scanners find your contact info if your dog goes missing. It’s pretty cheap, only $25 to $50, and it could make a huge difference.

Now, let’s talk about abandoned dogs. I wrote an article called “The Silent Suffering of Abandoned Dogs,” and it explains this in detail, so you should totally check it out! A big reason there are so many stray dogs is that people just leave them behind. Sometimes families get a dog without thinking it through, or a dog gets pregnant and they don’t want to deal with it, so they just dump her. Then the puppies often end up on the streets if they can’t find homes.

A lot of dogs are also born as strays. Female dogs that aren’t spayed can have puppies twice a year, with about seven puppies each time. So, one female can have like 14 puppies a year! Even if not all of them survive, it just keeps the stray dog problem going. It’s a never-ending cycle.

Stray dogs also cause problems for people. The more stray dogs there are, the higher the risk of car accidents. Drivers might hit a dog, or they could swerve and crash into other cars. The CDC says rabies kills 70,000 people every year, and dogs are responsible for 99% of these deaths outside the U.S. It’s a big deal for everyone.

The best way to fix the stray dog issue is to spay or neuter them. It’s best to do this when they’re between 6 and 18 months old. If you see a stray dog, take it to a shelter or rescue group. Stray dogs are a problem for both them and us, so doing these things can help a lot.