Significantly fewer dogs are beingeuthanized in Winnipeg at a time when the numberof owners registering their pets continues tosoar. <\/p>\n
\"There are less animals coming in, but there's a massive decrease as far as euthanizations,\"said Leland Gordon, chief operating officer for the city'sAnimal Services Agency. <\/p>\n
The agency continues to take inabout 1,000 pets each year, but that's down from closer to 1,500 in 2008,Gordon said. Twenty-eightdogs were euthanized in 2016, compared to 359 in 2008. <\/p>\n
\"The residents of Winnipeg, the taxpayers can be really happy to hear a stat like that,\" Gordon said. <\/p>\n
One big reason for the decline, Gordon says, is a rise in dog and cat licences in the city. <\/p>\n
Fifty per cent more owners registered their dogs with the city in 2016 than in 2008. <\/p>\n
More than 54,000 dog and 28,900 cat owners licensed their pets last year, compared to in 2015when 48,600 dog and 22,900 cat licenses were issued. <\/p>\n
Thanks to that uptick in licensing, Gordon said 311 operators have been able to help about 600 lost pets find their way back home in recent years. <\/p>\n
But the drop ineuthanasiafor pets isn't just from a rise in licensing, Gordon said. <\/p>\n
\"We've been doing a lot ofprogressivethings in the past few years to try and save really as many animals as possible,\" Gordon said. <\/p>\n
Public awareness campaigns on social media andcommunity outreach initiatives about responsible pet ownershiphave also helped, he said. <\/p>\n
\"We go to over 30 community events a year,\" Gordon said.\"I think people are seeing more of animal services in the community and they're becoming more responsible.\" <\/p>\n
Gordon previously said the agency was only able to find homes for 75 per cent of the dogs it rescued in 2008. Posting cuddly photos of adoptable dogs online a few years ago has helped change that, he said. <\/p>\n
All of the agency's social media accounts are maintained by volunteers, Gordon says, and they often work with groups such as Winnipeg Lost Dog Alerts to reunitepups withtheir rightful owners. <\/p>\n
Euthanasia will always be used in the case ofaggressive or terminally ill dogs that are brought into animal services and can't be released back into the community, Gordon said. <\/p>\n
\"Willnever be zero, but we can work as a team to keep that number as low as possible,\" hesaid. <\/p>\n
Dramatic decrease in euthanized dogs0:55 <\/p>\n
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'Massive decrease': Dog euthanasia cases drop 92% as number of pooch licences soars - CBC.ca<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Significantly fewer dogs are beingeuthanized in Winnipeg at a time when the numberof owners registering their pets continues tosoar. \"There are less animals coming in, but there's a massive decrease as far as euthanizations,\"said Leland Gordon, chief operating officer for the city'sAnimal Services Agency Continue reading