Dogs available for adoption in Santa Cruz

When looking at the makeup of American families today, it's rare to see a home where a pet isn't part of the family. According to the most recent data from the APPA National Pet Owners Survey, 67% of households, or around 85 million homes, own a pet. Of these households, dogs and cats top the list of most popular pets, with 63.4 million and 42.7 million households owning dogs and cats, respectively.

In exploring the history of animal shelters and rescue organizations in the country, nothing proves as problematic as the lack of a centralized reporting system to collect data on these organizations. Most of the shelter statistics that are available and accepted today are estimates based on several period surveys, including the aforementioned APPA National Pet Owners Survey along with the AVMA U.S. Pet Ownership & Demographics Sourcebook. Without a nationally codified and streamlined process for collecting, organizing, and reporting on shelter data, there has been a grave lack of transparency around the country's shelters. That makes it difficult not only to pinpoint accurate statistics regarding sheltered animals in America but also to understand the true state of animal welfare in the country, which is the first step to improving that welfare.

If you've been considering bringing home a furry companion, be sure to keep reading. Stacker compiled a list of dogs available for adoption in Santa Cruz, California on Petfinder, ranging in age, breed composition, temperament, and needs. (The images and data in this article were used with Petfinder's permission.) It's important to note that pet adoption is a huge responsibility and requires available savings for emergency and routine veterinary care, a day-to-day routine and game plan for coverage if the pup needs to be left at home during the day (i.e. hiring a dog walker), and time and attention devoted to training your newest family member. Be sure to do due diligence on breed research to see what kind of dog will be the best fit for your lifestyle.

Without further ado, here are adoptable dogs in your home city.