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As Reported on FOX News – ATLANTA –  The number of dogs and cats put to death in U.S. shelters is about one-fifth of what it was four decades ago.

“They were euthanizing about 15 million pets back in 1970,” said Betsy McFarland, vice president of companion animals at the Humane Society of the United States. “We’re now down to about 3 million every year. Of course, that’s 3 million too many. But that is tremendous progress that’s been made over the last four decades.”

During that same time period, the number of dogs and cats in the U.S. increased from 64 million to more than 160 million, according to Humane Society estimates. McFarland attributes the decline in euthanasia rates to spay/neuter campaigns targeted to underserved communities, better coordination among animal welfare organizations and changing social attitudes toward pets.

“I mean pets are really considered part of the family,” McFarland said. “And that has been a shift over the many decades where maybe pets were a little more utilitarian.”

Although the number of pets entering shelters has decreased nationwide, euthanasia rates at these shelters average close to 50 percent. But the Humane Society and other groups say their goal is to bring the number to zero, and they’re finding creative ways to head in that direction.

In the Atlanta area, the non-profit LifeLine Animal Project has helped two shelters lower their euthanasia rates from historic highs of 85 percent to less than 20 percent. LifeLine, which now manages shelters for Georgia’s DeKalb and Fulton Counties, brings its pets to adoption drives at shopping malls and other areas with large crowds. LifeLine also keeps many animals from entering shelters by offering “surrender counseling” to owners who are considering giving up their pets.

“What we found was that so many of the calls from the people who wanted to surrender their pets, they didn’t actually want to surrender their pets,” said Debbie Setzer, Lifeline’s community outreach director. “They may have had some financial hardship where they couldn’t afford dog food. They may have had a fence complaint where the dog was getting out.”

Pet owner Adrian Robinson, who’s already caring for a foster child and two adopted kids, says she felt overwhelmed when a highly energetic puppy joined her household.

“Keno doesn’t know his own strength,” Robinson said. “He was running around, jumping on the kids.”

LifeLine arranged free neutering, vaccinations and a training crate for Keno that helped calm him down and made it possible for Robinson to keep him. The mother and pet owner says she’s grateful to LifeLine’s staff for their assistance and advice.

“I love them,” Robinson said. “They did something for me that I couldn’t do for myself.”

Lifeline has helped other owners by repairing fences and helping them obtain donated pet food.

“Anything that we can do to keep that animal from coming into the shelter, we’ll try to do,” said LifeLine CEO Rebecca Guinn.

Before helping to create LifeLine, Guinn worked as a lawyer specializing in white-collar crime. While assisting a neglected dog in her neighborhood, she learned about the high euthanasia rates at her local shelter. Reducing those rates became her new passion (and full time job).

“There are more pets in American households than there are children. So, they’re a part of our lives,” Guinn said. “The idea that we use taxpayer dollars to round them up and then end their lives, to me, is not the right way to do it. And we’re working on a model where a shelter is truly a shelter — where the pets come in here, receive the care that they need and then can be re-homed — and where the community at large becomes a better community for pets to live in.”

Fox News’ Chip Bell contributed to this report.

Jonathan Serrie joined Fox News Channel (FNC) in April 1999 and currently serves as a correspondent based in the Atlanta bureau.

Jim Henderson is a Torrance-based “lawn doctor” who aerates and dethatches lawns.  He’s also a cat lover.  Some 18 years ago, the two interests came together.

“I went to this client’s house and I see cats scurrying all over the floor in the garage which has a lot of Amway stuff and boxes – all these cats running around,” he said. “There were 13 of ‘em. And I go in there and try to catch  ‘em as fast as I can.  I pick up a black one. Then I see this little critter running across with no eyes – his eyes aren’t even open yet.  And I picked him up and put him in my pocket.”

Henderson took the tiny feline home, bottle fed him and nurtured him – and named him Critter. “I think he was a little retarded.  He was a male cat who would not fight. All my other male cats were frisky.  And this cat would let just anybody beat him up. He would lay down on the ground he wouldn’t fight back.”

But Critter had a wonderful disposition and the two became fast friends.  “His attitude was so great and he was so lovable. He was a lover boy,” Henderson said.

A few years ago, however, Critter developed a mass on his right rear leg. Henderson took the cat to a veterinary hospital.  “I kept taking him in because this tumor was growing on his leg.  I don’t remember how much it was, 700 bucks or something like that to get that thing cut off.  Did it three times, I think, and then finally [in January, 2012] the doctor said, ‘OK, we will have to cut it [the leg] off.’  And I was all upset.  Everybody was saying: ‘Put the cat to sleep. Put the cat to sleep.’

“My business has not been good for a long time and I haven’t had the funds to take my cats to the vet like I used to.  I used to be able to spend thousands of dollars on my cats and it wasn’t a problem.  It was great for my heart. But right now it’s a problem: do I want to pay my rent or take my cat to the hospital?

The staff at Crenshaw Animal Hospital and Cat Clinic suggested seeking help from Angel Fund.  And a grant was quickly arranged.  The fund contributed $500 and so did the hospital.

After the surgery, Critter soon recovered.  But he lived indoors and no longer spent much time outside, Henderson said. “He got around pretty good on three legs and then all of sudden one day he got real sick” and had to be put down.  But the surgery – and Angel Fund – had added more than a year to his life.

In January, 2013, Jesse and Vanessa Nieto’s pit bull, Daisy, was not doing well. She lost weight and stopped eating. Jesse had lost his job because of the recession, but they took the dog to All Pets Medical & Surgical Center in Phillips Ranch.

“They gave her all kinds of tests and x-rays,” Jesse recalled, and decided that she need pyometra surgery. “But we didn’t have the money for it. There were a lot of things going on in my life. My wife and I were struggling to pay our bills.  I got really scared and I did not want to have to deal with something like that.”

Dr. Charles Mintzer and his staff suggested Angel Fund, which provided $500, as did the hospital, to help pay for Daisy’s surgery.  Jesse and Vanessa were grateful for the help.  After the operation, they took Daisy home but she still was not doing well. “Every day she just seemed to get worse and worse,” Jesse said. “The doctor did the best he could and I really appreciated what he did and what everyone did who helped.  Toward the end, Daisy was just lying down, suffering.  And the doctor couldn’t figure out what was wrong with her. So I finally made the decision to put her to sleep. My wife and I cried. We don’t have children and we don’t see our dogs as children, either.  I know a lot of people who do that. But we really loved Daisy.”

The Nietos have another pit bull, a male named Blue, who was close to Daisy. Jesse’s first dog, Scrappy, also was a pit bull.  “I’ve always had pit bulls,” he said. “Regardless of what some people say, they can be trained to be the nicest, most fulfilling, loyal dogs.  I never had a bad experience with them.  I’m a guy who was given a second chance by society.  I spent three years in prison because of a lot of poor choices I made when I was young. And I don’t like people getting a bad reputation – because people can change. And dogs shouldn’t be given a bad reputation, either, because a dog is going to be whatever you want it to be.  It all has to do with the way you train a dog.  And that’s why I’m always willing to give dogs a chance that some other people won’t.”

Jesse remembered the warm welcome he got from his first dog after being in prison for three years.  And, he said, “I ended up turning my life around. I became a Christian. I said: ‘You know what? I ruined the first part of my life and I don’t need to ruin the rest of it.’  If you really want to, you can straighten out your life and you can be a successful member of society, which I am now.”

Daisy lived only about two months after her surgery. “When I told Dr. Mintzer that I was ready to put her to sleep, he told me: ‘You did the best you could and we did the best we could. The best thing you can do is remember and enjoy the time you had with her.’”

Hedgehogs are growing more popular as pets, but some states include the prickly animals on their list of illegal exotic pets. Proponents of hedgehogs as pets say the animals are a good choice for people with allergies, and they can be handled as long as they’ve been socialized from a young age. However, opponents say owning a hedgehog does a disservice to the animals, which are nocturnal and may be forced to interact with owners when they should be sleeping. ABC News (2/25)

They’re cute, quiet and surprisingly controversial. One of the most popular pets trending across the United States is actually illegal in some cities and states.

They’re hedgehogs.

With their pointy noses and porcupine-like quills, the Lilliputian pets have seen a spike in popularity in recent years due in part to the prevalence of websites such as Cute Emergency and Instagram accounts like @biddythehedgehog that affectionately refer to them as “hedgies.”

But some say the exotic animals have no place being domesticated.

“There always are ethical and moral issues with keeping exotics,” Dave Salmoni of Animal Planet told ABC News. “In the case of hedgehogs, one of the big cons is that it is a nocturnal animal. So the pet owner either lets it sleep all day or takes it out of its enclosure to interact with it at a time in the day that the animal should be resting. Exotic animals as a general rule do not make great pets.”

New York City health code, for one, considers hedgehogs wild animals and therefore unsuitable to keep in the home. For similar reasons, some states, such as California and Maine, have also designated them illegal. Still, a permit can sometimes be obtained for educational purposes.

“Every state is different in how their laws are set up,” said Salmoni. “The laws and regulations also change often, so getting in touch with your local Fish and Game official may be a great place to start.

Another issue that can make hedgehogs tricky to domesticate is socializing them at an early age so that they are receptive to being held by humans.

“A socialized hedgehog will not mind being picked up and will lay its quills flat as a gesture of trust,” longtime Massachusetts-based hedgehog breeder Jill Warnick writes on her website. “If it does not unroll after a few seconds and begin exploring, this animal has probably not been socialized at a young enough age, and will probably not make a good pet.”

Those with sensitivities to dander from other animals may find that allergen-free hedgehogs can offer a cuddly pet alternative with relatively low maintenance. Just don’t expect to go on walks together.

“For people who want something that they can play with, a hedgehog is not for them because they don’t do much,” Amanda Munz told the New York Post, referring to her 3 1/2-year-old pet. “Gizmo cuddles and sleeps and that’s it.”

Salmoni put it more bluntly.

“If you can’t have a hedgehog, you can always bury a pin cushion in some wood chips,” he said. “Due to the hedgehog’s nocturnal behavior, you will get the same level of interaction. Otherwise, maybe a hamster might suit you.”

Tegus, lizards that can reach 4 feet in length and weigh 30 pounds, are native to South America but are known to be breeding in at least three areas in Florida, a state plagued by exotic species such as Burmese pythons. In addition to fruits and seeds, tegus eat small mammals, reptiles and birds, and they pose a threat to ecosystem balance, experts say. The animals are likely descendants of exotic pets that were released or escaped. Orlando Sentinel (Fla.) (tiered subscription model)/McClatchy-Tribune News Service (2/25)

As if there weren’t enough exotic species crawling around Florida, as if there wasn’t enough attention being paid to muscled Burmese pythons, gape-mouthed anacondas and football-sized Bofu marinas toads, add to the list of escaped exotic pets the tegu, a little known, leg-sized lizard that is making it big here.

The beast originates in South America but has established a beachhead in Florida, and in particular, Hillsborough County, where confirmed sightings of more than 100 tegus southeast of Riverview make this one of three breeding populations in the state.

Tegus in the wild have been plentiful around Miami-Dade County, and wildlife officers last year corralled about 30 in Panama City, where a lizard breeder abandoned his stock, leaving them to breed in his yard and beyond.

The cold-blooded creature seems comfortable all over the state especially, it seems, in Hillsborough County, according to officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which is logging sightings of the lizard.

“Certainly we have a lot to learn,” said Steven Johnson, with the University of Florida’s Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation. “But there is potential for impacts to native species by direct predation from tegus.

Tegus, which can grow to be more than 4 feet long and tip the scales at 30 pounds, are known in scientific circles as Tupinambis merianae. The lizard is native to Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina and can be prolific if all the conditions are right. Females can lay up to 35 eggs a year.

“Although direct predation on native vertebrates — small birds, rodents, reptiles and amphibians – is likely the greatest threat,” Johnson said, “tegus could compete with native species for food and space if their populations became dense enough.” He confirmed that most of the tegus in the wild are one-time pets.

“People need to be responsible pet owners and do their research and make the right choice when getting an exotic animal as a pet,” Johnson said. “And they should never release unwanted pets into the wild.”

They are black and white and with a banded tail and spend most of their time on land, though they can swim and submerge themselves for long periods of time, wildlife officials say.

They are active during the day and will burrow at night to hide. Right now, most are underground for the winter and will emerge around April to the warming sun.

If you’re strolling through the woods and spot one, wildlife experts suggest you not try to catch it or kill it.

Though tegus are not innately aggressive, they will defend themselves if bothered or threatened. They have sharp teeth, strong jaws and claws they use for defense.

Rather, the state suggests you take a photo, log the location and report the sighting to the exotic species reporting hot line at 1-888-483-4681 or online at IveGot1.org.

If you see a tegu on your property and want it removed, you can contact a local wildlife trapper to remove the animal.

A list of trappers can be found at MyFWC.com.

On that list is Jerry Richardson, a licensed wildlife trapper in Tampa, who said he’s gotten tegu calls from different areas of southern Hillsborough County.

“I don’t get called out too often for them,” he said. “I’ve seen them in pet stores, sold as exotic pets, but I never knew that they had become a nuisance animal. It’s getting out of hand now. They started down south and are moving their way north. In Ruskin and Lithia, they’re real popular in those areas.”

He said people often will report a small alligator on their property when they actually are looking at a tegu.

“A lot of people,” he said, “don’t know what they are.”

Carli Segelson, with the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s habitat and species conservation division, said the numbers in Hillsborough County indicate there is a breeding population here, one of three in the state. The other two are in Polk County and Miami-Dade County. She said the local tegus most likely descended from released or escaped pets.

The state said most of the sightings in Hillsborough County are southeast of Riverview, in an area bordered by Rhodine Road to the north, Boyette Balm Road to the east and Balm Riverview Road to the west. Within that triangle, 63 sightings of tegus have been reported. Twelve have been reported in or near the Alafia River State Park, about 12 miles east of the tegu epicenter.

Residents in those areas are asked not to leave pet food outside and to cover outdoor openings and clear the yard of debris to minimize hiding and burrowing places.

The state is closely watching the tegu populations, Segelson said, with an eye toward identifying the areas where they flourish and where they may expand next.

“It’s very difficult to determine population estimates,” she said. “We’re not studying populations as much as we are trying to assess where they are located and the extent of their range.”

She urged people who have tegus as pets, not to release them to the wild.

“We hope we are doing a good job of raising awareness to not release them or any other exotic species into the wild,” she said. “It’s not only bad for that particular animal, to be taken from a situation where it was cared for and fed and releasing it to fend for itself, but releasing something not native to environment is detrimental to the environment.

“We are concerned with this species,” she said. “They compete and prey on our native wildlife and we are taking tegus very seriously.”

When the Dillon family’s lab, Samsom, visited Dr. Tuz at the Aliso Niguel Animal Hospital, they could not afford the ongoing treatment to treat Samson’s atopy, dermatitis and hematomas due to family medical expenses.  Dr. Tuz reached out to the AHF Angel Fund to help with Samson’s treatment.

The Bill’s family american bulldog, 3 year old Hades, needed TPLO surgery and Dr. Horvath at the Los Alamitos Animal Hospital contacted the AHF’s  Angel Fund for help.  Hades is now recovering nicely from his surgery!

Work That Body! Seven Ways to Whittle Away Fear
Information excerpted from Nicole Wilde’s book Help For Your Fearful Dog.

The following tips on human’s body language are applicable when interacting with any dog, but are especially important when dealing with a fearful dog. Adopt mannerisms and teach others who interact with your dog to do so as well.
1. Let the dog come to you. If your dog is frightened, she must be allowed to decide whether or not to approach. Don’t restrain your dog and force her to accept contact from others. Remember the “fight or flight” response; if you take away the opportunity for flight, your dog’s choices are limited.
2. Turn to the side. Facing a dog directly is more confrontational than keeping your body turned partially or completely to the side; even turning your head to the side will make a frightened dog feel less anxious.

3. No staring, please! A direct stare is a threat in the animal kingdom (and on New York Subways!). It is perfectly fine to look at your dog; just soften your expression and don’t hard stare directly into her eyes. Do not allow children to put their faces near your dog’s face or to stare into her eyes.

4. Don’t hover. Leaning over a dog can cause the dog to become afraid and possibly defensive. The one time I was bitten while working in a Los Angeles city animal shelter happened when I went to return an adorable, fluffy white dog to her pen. While placing her on the ground, I inadvertently reached over an equally adorable little pen mate – who jumped up and bit me in the face.

5. Pet appropriately. Approaching dogs by patting them on the head is ill-advised. Envision the interaction from the dog’s point of view; a palm approaching from above can be alarming. I do a demonstration with kids to teach them how to pet dogs properly. The child plays the role of the dog; I tell the child that I will pet him in two different ways, and he is to tell me which is nicer. First, I reach my hand slowly towards the child’s cheek and stroke it, smiling and softly saying, “Good dog!” Next, I bring my hand brusquely palm-down over the child’s head and repeatedly, while loudly saying, “good dog, good dog!” Kids almost invariably like the first method better. If dogs could answer for themselves, nine out of ten dogs would vote for the first method as well! It’s not that dogs should never be petted on top of the head, but that head-patting (or petting over the dog’s shoulders, back, or rump) should not be used as an initial approach. It is wiser to make a fist, hold it under the dog’s nose to allow her to sniff, then pet the dog on the chest, moving gradually to the sides of the face and other body parts, assuming the dog is comfortable. Likewise, a hand moving in quickly to grab for a dog’s collar is more potentially fear-inducing than a hand moving slowly to a dog’s chest, scratching it, then moving up to take hold of the collar.

6. Stoop, don’t swoop. Small dogs in particular are often swooped down upon when people want to pick them up. Fast, direct, overhead movements are much more frightening than slow, indirect ones. To lift a small dog, crouch down, pet the dog for a moment, then gently slip your hands under her belly and chest, and lift.

7. Watch your smile. While humans interpret a smile as friendly, a dog might not be as fond of seeing your pearly whites. A show of teeth is, after all, a threat in the animal kingdom. A friend of mine once accompanied me to visit the wolves at a rescue center. She patiently sat on the ground, motionless. Finally, a large, black wolf approached to investigate. Unable to contain herself, she broke out in a huge, toothy grin. The wolf darted away as though she had raised a hand to hit him. The lesson? Save the dazzling toothpaste grin for charming your dates and accepting rewards. Smile at canines with a closed mouth.

For more on owning and training a fearful dog, purchase Help For Your Fearful Dog:  A Step By Step Guide to Helping Your Dog Conquer His Fear by Nicole Wilde, CPDT.