Animal shelters care for 6-8 million dogs and cats every year in the United States, of whom approximately 3-4 million are euthanized.

In the 1970s, American shelters euthanized 12-20 million dogs and cats, at a time when there were 67 million pets in homes. Today, shelters euthanize around 2.7 million animals, while there are more than 135 million dogs and cats in homes.  This enormous decline in euthanasia numbers—from around 25 percent of American dogs and cats euthanized every year to about 3 percent—represents substantial progress.

There are lots of ways that you can get involved. You can volunteer at an animal shelter. You can also adopt a pet from a shelter rather than buying a dog from a breeder. Too many animals are being killed because of the over crowding. Here are some local animal shelters that you can visit:

Waco Humane Society

Fuzzy Friends Rescue

Humane Society of Central Texas