Where are the numbers?

One of the things I have never understood with a lot of private shelters is why they don't release the number of animals they have. Most say people don't want to know. They only want happy stories and the funds will dry up for private shelters if they release their numbers of intake, adoption and euthanization.
Public animal control agencies in Florida must release their numbers under the Sunshine Laws. These facilities are run with your tax money and the public has a right to know where the money is going.
How refreshing and devastating it was to be cruising the internet and finding shelters who do release their numbers. How much more apt am I to support shelters like this because I realize from looking at the number of animals who make it out into a home is very small. They need money, not only for food and care, but for education and spay/neuter, to help decrease the number euthanized. Check out the numbers for this small humane society in Americus, Georgia.
You can see by the numbers they adopted out 399 animals from the period of July 2007 to June of 2008. During that same period they took in 2,328 from the county, the city, owner surrendered and out of county. 1,140 dogs were euthanized and 789 cats were euthanized.
Does this make me angry. You bet it does. Not at the shelter who is doing the best it can with the resources it has, but with the humans who continue to breed animals and dump animals to the point the only humane solution is euthanasia. Would I send this shelter a donation? Yep, I would. The reason I would is because I can see they are doing what they can, with the money they have and the area they are in.
Once again, the animals are the ones who are losing out.
Sarasota is one of the wealthiest counties in the state. I wonder how our numbers stack up.

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