Where do shelter animals come from?

There's a common misconception that the pets at animal shelters are there because they weren't, or wouldn't be, good pets. While that is true occasionally, it's actually pretty rare. Sadly, the vast majority of the animals that end up at shelters are simply lost. A few are reunited with their owners, usually thanks to a microchip, but most aren't. We don't know why their owners don't come looking for them, but that's the reality of the situation.

Second to lost pets, the other big source of animals at shelters is owner surrenders. However, the owner has a legitimate reason to surrender their pet in frustratingly few cases. The most popular reasons for surrendering a pet are "I'm moving," and "I just don't have enough time for them," (the pet is usually less than a year old when we hear that one). We hear these excuses so often that we suspect most of the time the owner is simply tired of the responsibility of owning a pet. Another popular excuse is, "It grew up to be bigger than I was expecting," (one more reason to adopt an adult animal). Then there are the people who didn't have their pet spayed or neutered and end up bringing in the consequence of that...an entire litter of kittens or puppies. What we're saying is, 90% of the time when a pet is surrendered it is because of an irresponsible owner, not because of anything the pet did.

So, now you know the truth about where shelter animals come from. Help us spread the word by sharing this info with your friends, family, and colleagues and encourage them to adopt from a shelter rather than buying from a breeder if they're in the market for a new best friend. There are literally thousands of animals sitting in shelters every day in Arkansas. The Little Rock Animal Village alone takes in more than 4,000 animals a year, and you would be shocked at how many of those are purebred animals. Whatever you're looking for in your future pet, we promise you can find it at a shelter.