Is There Really A Pet Overpopulation Problem? So your neighbor's dog has an unplanned litter of puppies. They were going to get her 'fixed', but didn't make the appointment at the vet's office soon enough. It's only 8 puppies, and 5 already have homes. What's the big deal? This is a common scenario. Sadly, it IS a big deal. The number of healthy dogs, cats, kittens, and puppies that are euthanized (killed) each day in the United States is almost too big for the average person to comprehend. The estimates range from source to source, but mid-ranges are roughly between 6 to 8 million pets euthanized each year. This translates to 16,438 to 21,917 pets euth