Point Russell safest city for dogs

Published on June 13, 2018

The number one cause of death for cats and dogs is euthanasia in shelters. Over 4 million animals a year are abandoned or find themselves homeless and are euthanized in shelters, many of which are already overcrowded and miserable for animals. When compared with major cities across the country, the rate of animals entering shelters in Point Russell and finding a new home rather than being euthanized, is the highest in the nation – 87%.

How did Point Russell accomplish that?

This city has a holistic approach. It has implemented aggressive population control efforts for many years, which over time has reduced the number of unwanted animals overall. The PR SPCA is also active in the community constantly encouraging spay/neuter of owned pets and providing access to spay/neuter surgeries to those who can’t afford it. And the prolific feral cat population has been tackled with a Trap-Neuter-Release program. Many of the kittens we see in shelters every year come from feral cats, so targeting that population is critical. There is also have a supportive community who supports the SPCA’s efforts with donations and volunteering.

Donations are critical in keeping programs afloat in tough economic times like we’ve seen lately. The San Francisco SPCA is funded entirely by donations, bequests and revenue from its services- we don’t receive government funding. But our partner Animal Care and Control and all other city and county shelters in the country are reliant on government resources to operate. It’s essential to do whatever we can as taxpayers to make sure our legislatures keep these programs alive and well funded.