National Rescue the Dog Day

Skid Rover x Gooby

National Rescue Dog Day is on May 20th. If there's only one takeaway from this entire page, we want you to know that today is a celebration of empathy. In the world we're living in today, being empathetic towards animals and one another is a much-needed and timeless quality that our society can definitely use more of.

To celebrate and raise awareness on the topic of animal abandonments, we've collaborated with Skid Rover, a program of Homeless Health Care Los Angeles that provides collars, leashes, and dog food to people with pets living in Skid Row.

Learn more about Lisa Wiehabrink in an interview she did with KTLA here.

Learn More

1. Post a story and picture of your rescue dog using #NationalRescueDogDay.

Share a few words on how your rescue has changed your life and inspire others to do the same.

2. Consider adopting.

Thinking about getting a pet? No doubt that it's one of the most unique and special experiences you'll ever have. Visit your local shelter and help an animal in need.

3. Volunteer, foster, or donate to your local shelter.

It's a huge responsibility to adopt a dog. If you're not ready for it, you can still help by doing the above.

4. Follow Tails that Teach @tailsthatteach

Lisa Wiehebrink is the founder of National Rescue Dog Day and the director of Tails that Teach. Tails that Teach is an organization that helps children learn the kind and proper treatment of their pets.

Why Should You Care?

The statistics aren't pretty, but there's hope. Hopefully the info below encourages you to take action and raise awareness on this topic.

Learn More

1. Approximately 6.3 million animals enter animal shelters yearly where dogs make up 3.1 million and cats make 3.2 million. Since 2011, that number has reduced from 7.2 million to 6.3 million.

[source: ASPCA]

2. Approximately 4.1 million animals get adopted yearly where dogs make up 2 million and cats make 2.1 million.

[source: ASPCA]

3. 920,000 animals are euthanized yearly where 390,000 are dogs and 530,000 are cats - this number is decreasing thanks to the increasing number of no-kill shelters.

[source: ASPCA]

4. However, no-kill shelters can still euthanize up to 10% of their animal population.

[source: Animal Law]

5. Top 6 states with the highest number of animals killed in shelters.

52,106 - Texas

39,111 - California

27,031 - North Carolina

24,289 - Florida

16,825 - Alabama

15,288 - Louisiana

[source: Best Friends Animal Society ]

6. Pets end up in shelters due to problematic behavior, physical size being larger than expected, and their owners can't handle the health problems are the top reasons for pet relinquishment according to ASPCA.

However, humans bear responsibilities too. Factors such as having too many animals, housing, having family health/death, and financial hardship are all leading causes as well according to Best Friends analysis on 24PetWatch data from Jan 2018 - Sept 2020.

[sources: ASPCA & Best Friends Animal Society]

7. There are 4,404 animal shelters in the U.S, but the system is overwhelmed.

[source: Best Friends Animal Society]