Charleston, W.Va. – The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is encouraging animal lovers throughout West Virginia to say "thank you" during National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week, which is November 7-11, 2011.
Celebrated the first full week of November, The HSUS founded National Animal Shelter Appreciation in 1996 as a way to engage the community in the work of the local shelter and help save more animals' lives.
There are approximately 3,500 animal shelters across the United States available to serve the estimated seven million homeless animals who seek refuge each year. Sadly, only about half are adopted. While 63 percent of American households include pets, fewer than 20 percent of them were adopted from shelters. Pets often end up in shelters through no fault of their own – their families move and can't take them, their owner is allergic, or any other number of reasons.
"Animal shelters are a great place to find your next pet," said HSUS West Virginia State Director Summer Wyatt. "In addition to giving homeless pets a second chance, shelters provide other essential services for their communities such as investigating cruelty and neglect, reuniting lost pets with their families, teaching kids to care about animals, and providing spay/neuter services to help reduce pet overpopulation in their communities."
In 1996, The HSUS launched National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week based on an idea from the Capital Humane Society in Lincoln, Nebraska. This campaign was designed to acknowledge and promote the invaluable role shelters play in their communities and to increase public awareness of animal welfare issues and shelter services. During National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week, the first full week of every November, The HSUS promotes and celebrates animal shelters across the country through media and public outreach.
More information on National Animal Shelter Appreciation week can be found on the HSUS website at www.humanesociety.org.
