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| Photo by Tom Thompson-CVM Coordinator of Photographic Services |
STARKVILLE, Miss.—A recently completed study by two researchers in Mississippi State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine brings American animal shelter canine populations into sharper focus.
The study by CVM faculty members Kimberly Woodruff and David R. Smith uses survey and capture/re-capture methodology to estimate the number of dogs in U.S. animal shelters, adoption rates, transfer rates and euthanasia rates. The researchers found that commonly cited figures underestimate the quantity taken in by shelters every year and overestimate the number of dogs those shelters euthanize. Woodruff, who leads the College of Veterinary Medicine’s shelter medicine program, said the study’s goal was to put quality science behind shelter population estimates. read more...
