More pets die each year as a result of being lost than from all diseases combined. Nearly seventy percent of all shelter animals are strays and only ten percent of them are ever reunited with their owner.

In theory, licensing laws are the system that society relies on to return lost pets home. In reality, licensing programs, as a means of returning lost pets, are a failure. On average, only one third of all dogs are licensed and licensing has no impact on the cat population. Unfortunately, animals that are licensed do not necessarily wear their tag. Consequently, on average, six out of ten stray dogs and eight out of ten stray cats never make it out of the shelter alive.