Euthanasia rates plummet at Valley animal shelters; decline attributed to many reasons

PHOENIX - Animal welfare groups rejoicing over a trend that they have worked hard to make happen. The number of animals they have to euthanize is dropping.

The New York Times did this study, and shelters in the Phoenix area are among the shelters they looked at. What they found was eye-opening, and definitely got the attention of those who work tirelessly to help dogs and cats.

"It's working," said Bretta Nelson with the Arizona Humane Society. "It's finally working."

There is an air of excitement and celebration for those in the animal shelter community, as figures show the number of dogs and cats they have euthanized in the last seven years have dropped, and not by a little, but by a lot.

"Arizona Humane Society was able to reduce euthanasia by 84%, but that's not all," said Nelson. "Across Maricopa County as a whole, down 86%."

Nelson says the drop is due to a combination of factors. Medically, she says AHS is more proactive than ever when it comes to healing and heading off medical problems for animals who come in. New programs are launched to reunite lost pets with their owners, and adoption programs by all shelters are more creative and focused. A group called "Wings of Rescue" has flown hundreds of dogs from the Valley to other areas of the country, like the Pacific Northwest, to find adoptive homes.

Helping owners keep their pets when they are struggling has also made a difference. Nelson says animal welfare groups have made the difference for thousands of cats and dogs.

"We all work together to increase spay/neuter services, to adopt out more pets, rescue partnerships are a huge part of this," said Nelson. who went on to say they will continue the push to bring the euthanasia rate down even further.