National organizations that focus on companion animal welfare draw estimates from surveys that collect information about pet ownership. The HSUS estimates that there are 3500 animal shelters in the United States and that between 6 and 8 million companion animals enter shelters each year. These animals may need shelter due to being relinquished by their owners, or because they were found wandering the streets. An estimated 3.2 million animals are adopted out of shelters each year. An estimated 1.5 million shelter animals are euthanized each year.
Research has found that Illinois has the best animal protection laws of all 50 states in the United States. Due to the lack of local data available, the group is unable to draw definite conclusions about how the state of companion animal welfare in Illinois compares to national estimates. However, due to Illinois having the best animal protection laws, the group predicts that the current state of animal welfare in Illinois is, on average, better than other states in the United States.
Task 2: Acquire a basic understanding of the Champaign County Humane Society and how it serves the issue of companion animal welfare in the local …show more content…
The survey questions can be found in the appendix. Among the 35 people who responded to the survey, 21 of them answered that they are unfamiliar with the CCHS. 73.5% of the respondents revealed that they had never visited the facility. Among the 26.5% who had visited the CCHS, only one respondent said that they visit the facility once a week while the rest said they visit the facility once a year. Two respondents have adopted animals from CCHS. Although the data shows that students in the local community are unfamiliar with CCHS, the results of the survey indicated that most people think the issue of animal welfare is important. Also, most respondents expressed a positive attitude towards CCHS and believed that the facility’s efforts to support animal welfare are honorable. However, because of the unfamiliarity, they did not know the kinds of activities the facility sponsors or how to participate in those activities.
Task 4: Acquire an understanding of the Champaign County Humane Society’s finances
The CCHS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, meaning that donations are