Recent estimates indicate that up to fifteen million dogs and cats are euthanized each year. In fact, the euthanasia of dogs and cats in animal shelters is the leading cause of companion animal mortality in the United States. Before we can stop the killing, we must first understand why animals end up in shelters. Traditional education and incentive programs promote spaying and neutering to mechanically reduce the number of unwanted pets. Yet, no matter how successful these programs are, they focus on only one facet of the problem.

Historically, shelters and animal protection agencies have urged for the implementation of aggressive spay/neuter campaigns. Yet, this solution ignores the statistical data that proves the problem isn't too many pets, but too many unwanted pets - unwanted because their owners have unrealistic expectations and lack the knowledge and skill necessary to solve even the most basic behavioral problems.