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8 <br />• Raise community awareness about spaying and neutering as a critical element of <br />responsible pet ownership <br />These goals have been developed given our ongoing evaluation of intake and <br />disposition numbers. Achievement of these goals is expected to have several positive <br />corollaries. Among these are providing financial assistance to more low-income <br />residents; improving relations between owners and (sterilized) pets; and reducing the <br />number of roaming animals that may be a nuisance and public health threat. <br />In 2009, a total of 4089 animals were "dispositioned" by the County's Animal Services <br />Department.3 As the following table shows, 47 percent of the animals were euthanized, <br />and another 50% were returned to their owners (or custodians) or transferred to <br />approved rescue organizations for their final placements in a new home. <br />Reclaimed <br />Ac3 opted <br />Transfers <br />Euthanized <br />Died <br />Other <br /> Table 1 <br />Total Disposition of Animals for 2009 <br />Doffs Cats Others Total <br />4~0 46 -~ 470 <br />bOS £96 "44 i3~8 <br />1.53 72 7? 390 <br />732 1040 16 1788 <br />22 62 5 89 <br />1 3 0 4 <br />of Total <br />Dispositions <br />T l .49% <br />32.97"/" <br />9.4"/~ <br />43.73% <br />2.18% <br />0.10% <br />Totals 1966 1982 141 4089 100.00% <br />Finally, we would underscore that support for this program is justified by fiscal good <br />judgment as well as humane considerations. Our own and other communities bear the <br />costs of pet overpopulation and these costs will only grow with the expected growth of <br />human population in a place like Orange County. Controlling these costs requires a <br />smart investment of public funds to reduce the number of so-called surplus animals that <br />end up needing to be sheltered. Doing so means paying less now rather than more <br />later. <br />requests were approximately 40 percent of the animals dispositioned in 2009 and 35 percent of the <br />animals dispositioned in 2008. <br />s Dispositioned animals consist of animals who have left the custody and care of Orange County Animal <br />Services. They are different frorrl admitted and sheltered animals. In 2009, Animal Services admitted <br />4036 animals and sheltered 4262 animals. <br />6 <br />