Overview: The State of Animals in 2001 Paul G. Irwin he blizzard of commentary tors have taken part in a fascinating, environments; and change their inter- marking the turn of the millen- sometimes frustrating, dialogue that actions with other animals, evolving Tnium is slowly coming to an end. seeks to balance the needs of the nat- from exploitation and harm to Assessments of the past century (and, ural world with those of the world’s respect and compassion. more ambitiously, the past millenni- most dominant species—and in the Based upon that mission, The HSUS um) have ranged from the self-con- process create a truly humane society. almost fifty years after its founding gratulatory to the condemnatory. The strains created by unrestrained in 1954, “has sought to respond cre- Written from political, technological, development and accelerating harm atively and realistically to new chal- cultural, environmental, and other to the natural world make it impera- lenges and opportunities to protect perspectives, some of these commen- tive that the new century’s under- animals” (HSUS 1991), primarily taries have provided the public with standing of the word “humane” incor- through legislative, investigative, and thoughtful, uplifting analyses. At porate the insight that our human educational means. least one commentary has concluded fate is linked inextricably to that of It is only coincidentally that the that a major issue facing the United all nonhuman animals and that we choice has been made to view the States and the world is the place and all have a duty to promote active, animal condition through thoughtful plight of animals in the twenty-first steady, thorough notions of justice analysis of the past half century—the century, positing that the last few and fair treatment to animals and life span of The HSUS—rather than of decades of the twentieth century saw nonhuman nature. the past hundred years. It is in the unprecedented and unsustainable A humane society is compassion- last half-century that the role of ani- destruction of the natural world. This ate, sustainable, and just. It counts mals in modern life has changed in was taking place even as the concepts on a hopeful worldview that calls on unprecedented ways. Only in the of animal rights and human obliga- the better qualities of all people. It is last half century, for example, have tions gained currency in modern life driven by the moral imperative that domestic animals in the developed for the first time (Irwin 2000). every creature deserves (1) our con- world been freed from lives as beasts My own conclusions aside, it seems cern, by which we mean a caring of burden or have nonhuman pri- highly appropriate for scholars, re- heart, (2) our respect, by which we mates been granted recognition, by searchers, and opinion makers in the mean a mindful attitude, and (3) our some thinkers, as so cognitively simi- animal protection and animal re- consideration, by which we mean lar to their human relatives that they search fields to evaluate the position intellectual engagement with the merit inclusion in the human social of animals in society at the dawn of threats and diminutions to that framework of protection and justice the twenty-first century. Many con- animal’s well-being. It is perhaps (Cavalieri and Singer 1993). tributors to this volume are members obvious why The HSUS believes it From the animals’ perspective, the of the staff of The Humane Society of has as its mission the creation of a past half-century has not been one the United States (HSUS) and, as humane society. Indeed our vision of uninterrupted progress, however. such, share an overarching commit- statement envisions a world in Indeed, as some conditions have ment to creating a more humane which people meet the physical and improved, others have remained frus- society. Others are scholars from emotional needs of domestic ani- tratingly unchanged, and still others higher education. All of the contribu- mals; protect wild animals and their have undoubtedly deteriorated. 1 From 1973 to the present, the Table 1 demographics of dogs and cats in Shelter Euthanasia of Owned Animals shelters has changed dramatically. Table l presents summary estimates Total Owned Approximate % of of what has happened in the nation’s Year Dogs and Cats Euthanized Owned Animals Euthanized approximately 3,000 shelters (data from Rowan and Williams 1987; Rowan 1973 65 million 13.5 million 21.0 1992b; HSUS 2000). 1982 92 million 8–10 million 10.0 As one can see, shelters have made tremendous strides in reducing both 1992 110 million 5–6 million 5.5 the absolute and the relative number 2000 120 million 4–6 million 4.5 of animals euthanized because they are not wanted. Other evidence indi- cates that the rates of sterilization of How then to assess progress and ership.” The term “pet” itself had owned animals are already high and failure? In the absence of a universal- begun to be replaced by the more dig- continue to rise slowly and that there ly accepted, consistently applied set nified and evocative “companion ani- are parts of the country where it is of standards for data collection and mal,” which was being applied to ani- difficult to find puppies available for analysis, any attempt to answer the mals who carried with them more adoption in shelters. Shelters are now question, What is the state of ani- than minimal monetary value. addressing the challenges represent- mals in 2001?, must be based on a There are few good data on owned ed by the stray and feral cat popula- series of snapshots, an accumulation animal populations in the United tions by reaching out to cat colony of statistics from which we can draw States from 1950 to 1972. From 1970 feeders and are also looking at the conclusions. onwards, however, we have relatively challenges posed by harder-to-adopt reliable trend information as a result groups of dogs (e.g., those with behav- of surveys by a variety of organiza- ior problems and older animals). How Has tions. The surveys do not all agree in A number of trends can be cited as terms of the total number of owned proof of improving conditions for the State dogs and cats, but the trend data are dogs and cats. The most enlightened the same. In summary, the number of shelters have invested in better facili- of the Animals owned dogs and cats has increased ties, better training of shelter person- from around 60 million in 1970 to nel, and broad-based public education Improved? around 115–120 million in 2000. campaigns extolling the benefits of While total numbers of owned dogs pet sterilization; they have developed Dogs and Cats: No and cats have steadily increased more innovative adoption policies, Longer Expendable (because the total number of house- better forms of euthanasia and steril- holds in the United States almost ization, and a more sophisticated Property doubled, from around 60 to 100 mil- interaction with local governing bod- In 1950 in the United States, by and lion, over this time period), the actu- ies. Other shelters have struggled to large, dogs and cats were termed al rate of ownership of dogs (i.e., the improve their efforts in these areas “pets” and typically roamed and number per household) began to as expectations in their communities reproduced at will. If they made nui- decline in the mid- to late-1980s rose. Dialogue on the validity of sances of themselves, they were rele- while the rate of ownership of cats euthanasia as a means of pet popula- gated to the “pound,” where they stabilized in the mid- to late-1990s tion control and on the intrinsic value received an unmourned, often inhu- (Patronek and Rowan 1995; Rowan of companion animals above and mane, death. If they wandered off or and Williams 1987). Currently, approx- beyond their “market” value has were hit by cars, their human fami- imately 32 percent of households own added a moral dimension to the lies—if they had one—might view the at least one dog and 28 percent own previously unexplored relationship loss regretfully, but fatalistically. at least one cat (Rowan 1992a; AVMA between “guardian” and “companion Leash laws, spay/neuter contracts, 1997). Over the same time frame, the animal.” An expanding recognition of animal-care facilities, and compan- number of stray or feral dogs appears the link between cruelty to animals ion animals were alien concepts. By to have declined substantially. The and other forms of human violence 2000 most “pounds” had given way same cannot be said of stray and feral has legitimized concerns about pet to “animal shelters” and “animal- cats. There are no reliable estimates abuse. Such concerns have goaded care-and-control facilities” and spay- of the stray and feral cat population in law enforcement officials into pursu- ing and neutering had become part of the United States, but it could range ing abusers more vigorously and the concept of “responsible pet own- from 25 to 50 million individuals. judges into sentencing offenders to 2 The State of the Animals: 2001 more than a slap on the wrist. Knee-jerk, simplistic responses, such Table 2 as dog-breed-specific bans, to com- Hunters, by Census Division, 1955–1985 munity companion animal problems have prompted serious discussions Number of Total U.S. of responsible pet ownership, discus- Year Hunters (Millions) Population (Millions)* Percent sions that would have been impossi- ble to hold in 1950. The need for data 1955 11.8 118.4 10.0 on pet population demographics 1960 14.6 131.2 11.2 spawned the creation of the National Council on Pet Population Study and 1965 13.6 142.0 9.6 Policy in 1993.