Countless lives locked in cages and forgotten have overwhelmed our society, left bloodstains in our history as a species and if history has taught us anything, it's that we have a choice to change our way of adapting to situations. A war fought for the purpose of ending such criminal means, yet we as humans do little to nothing to end the horrific crimes of animal deaths in shelters. It is no secret that this world has been riddled with problems that have stretched from one side of the globe to the other. Among these problems lies a terrible truth: almost every year, nearly eight million dogs and cats are placed in shelters around the world. Of these large numbers, half will be euthanized; this is equivalent to killing an animal every 8 seconds. Animals that aren't adopted are kept in shelters until they find homes. Most of these shelters do not have enough space or resources to care for the animal. Only 15% of dogs and 2% of cats entering animal shelters are reunited with their owners. Most pets come from acquaintances and family members. 26% of dogs are purchased from breeders, 20-30% of dogs and cats are adopted from shelters and rescues, and 2-10% are purchased from pet stores. Additionally, only 56% of dogs and 71% of cats entering animal shelters are euthanized. 10% of animals received by shelters have been spayed or neutered, while 78% of dogs and 88% of cats are not spayed or neutered. In 2009, statistics from animal shelters in 55 West Virginia counties show that nearly 54 percent of all animals entering shelters are euthanized. Euthanasia rates ranged from the lowest of 5% to the highest...... half of program......ff program "Helps support public health." States News Service Mar. 2, 2012.< Academic OneFile> Web. Mar. 19, 2012. "Spay or Neuter Your Pet." Oregon Veterinary Medical Association, March 17, 2009. <“http://oregonvma.org/care-health/spay-or-neuter-your-pet” >.“Pet Statistics.”“10 Questions I Get Asked About more questions Dogs in heat”< http://www.petsinpastel.com/petarticles/dogsinheat.htm>.“Why sterilization is important for pet health”©2007 James W. Day DVM, PC“WV Animal Shelter Euthanasia Rates”. “Welcome to SpayUSA.” "Information on the Spay and Neuter certificate”.