MISSION STATEMENT
Inspired by the love of her own adopted pets, Anne’s bold whimsical art
celebrates the joy of our four legged friends and a commitment to
encourage adoption and support of animal welfare organizations.
“Having adopted 2 cats 2 dogs in Chicago, I know the sad facts and figures about adoption rates in urban shelters. It is heartbreaking to see so many homeless animals and it astonishes me to see such a vast pedigreed dog marketplace flourishing in our country while large numbers of perfectly loveable mixed, older and even full breed pets wait in shelters for a chance to be given a home. Bringing attention to the plight of these often overlooked pets with my art and educating families who normally may have only considered a pure bred for-profit puppy or kitten is my intention. The more animal rescue and welfare groups I work with the more I learn about the shocking statistics of homeless pets and euthanasia in this country (see below), I believe that most people just do not realize how serious this problem is or that many of the pets in shelters are pure breeds. If they did, I think they would choose to adopt and save a homeless pet rather than purchasing from breeders and stores which often buy from puppy mills.
My goal and mission is to give back to our dogs and cats all the unconditional love and devotion they provide us by spreading the word about animal adoption through my art and designs; to bring awareness to the plight of homeless pets and to help promote the many animal welfare organizations around the country that encourage pet adoption as an alternative to euthanasia.”
-Anne Leuck Feldhaus
Please See Statistics below from the HSUS
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From the HSUS (Humane Society of the United States):
“As a nation, we claim to love cats and dogs. Millions of households have pets, and billions of dollars are spent yearly on pet supplies and food. But as a nation, we should take a hard, sobering look at a different annual statistic: the millions of dogs and cats given up to shelters or left to die on the streets. And the numbers tell only half the story.
Every cat or dog who dies as a result of pet overpopulation—whether humanely in a shelter or by injury, disease, or neglect—is an animal who, more often than not, would have made a wonderful companion, if given the chance. Tremendous as the problem of pet overpopulation is, it can be solved if each of us takes just one small step, starting with not allowing our animals to breed. Here's information about this crisis and why spaying and neutering is the first step to a solution.”
Number of cats and dogs entering shelters each year:
6-8 million (HSUS estimate)
Number of cats and dogs euthanized by shelters each year:
3-4 million (HSUS estimate)
Number of cats and dogs adopted from shelters each year:
3-4 million (HSUS estimate)
Number of cats and dogs reclaimed by owners from shelters each year:
Between 600,000 and 750,000 -- 30% of dogs and 2-5% of cats entering shelters (HSUS estimate)
Number of animal shelters in the United States:
Between 4,000 and 6,000 (HSUS estimate)
Percentage of dogs in shelters who are purebred:
25% (HSUS estimate)
Average number of litters a fertile cat can produce in one year: 3
Average number of kittens in a feline litter: 4-6
Average number of litters a fertile dog can produce in one year: 2
Average number of puppies in a canine litter: 6-10
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