Members of the “Fix.Adopt.Save.” partnership – a coalition of public and private animal care groups – announced that humane euthanasia of dogs and cats in Maricopa County has decreased from by 71% over the past three years.
“Maricopa County is committed to finding permanent homes for adoptable animals,” said Clint Hickman, Chairman of Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, District 4. “We are a proud member of this partnership that has helped bring so many animals in need together with wonderful families in Maricopa County.”
Since starting the campaign in 2013, the intake at shelters has dropped dramatically.
“We focus on three things hence the name,” said Melissa Gable, public information officer for Maricopa County Animal Care and Control. “We encourage folks to spay and neuter. We also encourage people to come down to their local shelter and adopt, and ‘save’ is for those folks who maybe have animals at home and are not looking to expand their family, but they can go down to a shelter or rescue and volunteer their time or their willing to help foster animals in their homes.”
Fix.Adopt.Save. Progress to Date
| 2012 | 2015 | % Change | |
| Intake | 84,823 | 52,673 | Decreased 38% |
| Euthanasia | 37,591 | 10,859 | Decreased 71% |
| Total Placements | 42,205 | 42,904 | Increased 2% |
| Spay/Neuter | 37,557 | 43,067 | Increased 15% |
“Euthanasia has gone down in 2015 compared to 2012 by 71 percent, and that is amazing,” said Dr. Steven Hansen, CEO and president at Arizona Humane Society. “Thank you, guys, congratulations to all of you, and thank you to all of the supporters, too. We couldn’t have done it without you.” There are now more spay and neuter operations performed, and placement is steady. Animal welfare groups plan to continue this partnership, so that they can “Fix.Adopt.Save.” more animals.