Currently, there are nearly 47,000 puppies across the country waiting to be adopted.
Some organizations, like theBest Friends Animal Societyin Utah, are doing their part to bring that number down.
'If you look at the numbers, if only 40 more people every week had adopted a pet rather than bought a pet, Utah would be no-kill,' Best Friends Animal Society communications strategist Michelle Sathe said.
Of Utah's 57 animal shelters, 45 have already achieved no-kill status.
Best Friends Animal Society is working with the remaining shelters to make Utah a safer place for our furry friends, Sathe said.
'Best Friends provides grants, we also provide marketing, social media and PR tools to help with increased adoptions and fosters,' Sathe said.
Sathe also talked about the perks that come with adopting instead of purchasing. Animals from breeders are often not chipped, not fixed, and sick, she said. On top of initial adoption fees, that could add up to thousands in bills.
'You can't really, 'Oh I can't find what I want at a shelter,' because they have everything. We have puppies, we have purebreds, we have older pets,' Sathe said.
One of the best ways to help relieve the burden on shelters is to foster, Sathe said. With enough hard work, the goal of making Utah no-kill by 2025 is very achievable, she said.