From Data to Action: What Mexico Teaches Us About Preventing Pet Homelessness

We often think of pet homelessness as something we see on the streets or in shelters. In reality, homelessness begins long before an animal loses his or her home.

It begins when families cannot access affordable veterinary care. When communities lack preventative services. When unwanted litters outpace available homes. When local veterinary systems are stretched, and pet owners don't have the support they need to keep their animals healthy.

By the time a pet becomes homeless, the system has already begun to fail. That's why addressing pet homelessness requires more than responding to animals in crisis. It requires understanding, and addressing, the conditions that place pets at risk in the first place.

The State of Pet Homelessness Project, led by Mars, provides an important foundation for this work. By combining data with local insights, the project helps identify not only where pet homelessness exists, but why it happens. Those insights allow organizations like Humane World for Animals to design interventions that respond to the realities of each community rather than relying on one-size-fits-all solutions.

Understanding the local drivers

Pet homelessness is rarely driven by a single factor. Instead, it reflects a complex interaction between veterinary access, community infrastructure, economic pressures, animal overpopulation, and human behavior. And one of the most important lessons we've learned is that pet homelessness looks different from one community to the next.

Located in central Mexico, the city of Aguascalientes is home to nearly one million people and an estimated 309,000 owned dogs. Like many rapidly growing communities around the world, it includes urban neighborhoods, rural communities, and families with very different levels of access to veterinary care.

Through support from Mars, Humane World for Animals conducted a comprehensive assessment to better understand the local drivers of pet homelessness. The findings showed that while pet ownership was common and people cared deeply about their animals, access to preventive veterinary care and sterilization remained uneven, particularly in rural and lower-income communities. Many owners wanted to sterilize their pets but faced barriers to accessing affordable services.

Those insights shaped everything that followed.

Building solutions that work together

In Aguascalientes, Humane World for Animals is working with local partners to improve access to veterinary care while strengthening the systems that support pets and the people who care for them. Our work includes community-based veterinary clinics, referrals for spay and neuter services, preventative care, veterinary training in high volume spay/neuter techniques, community engagement, and partnerships with universities and local organizations. Each intervention addresses a different part of the challenge, but together they create a stronger, more sustainable response.

A mobile veterinary clinic, for example, is far more than a place where animals receive treatment. It may also be the first opportunity a family has to speak with a veterinarian, learn about preventative care, receive a referral for sterilization, or connect with services they didn't know existed. At the same time, local veterinary professionals and students gain experience, strengthening the community's long-term capacity to care for animals.

This is the power of a systems approach. Veterinary care, education, capacity building, and community engagement are not separate initiatives, they reinforce one another. Better access to care helps keep pets healthy. Preventative services reduce future welfare challenges. Community engagement builds trust and encourages responsible pet ownership. Local partnerships ensure that progress continues long after a single project ends.

A story of one kitten - and an entire community

One afternoon in the rural community of Cañada Honda, a community leader heard the cries of a tiny orange-and-white kitten hiding beneath some bushes. Just two months old, he had suffered a severe leg injury and was unable to escape. Knowing Humane World for Animals was conducting a community veterinary outreach clinic nearby, she contacted the team immediately. Humane World Program Manager Bárbara Morales safely rescued the kitten and transported him to a partner veterinary clinic, where he underwent successful surgery. Named Feliciano, he is now recovering in foster care while waiting for a permanent home.

Feliciano's story is about more than one rescued kitten. It illustrates what becomes possible when communities know where to turn, veterinary services are accessible, and local partnerships are strong. A community member recognized an animal in need. A veterinary outreach team was close enough to respond. A local clinic provided specialized care. A foster caregiver helped him heal.

That chain of support is exactly what stronger animal welfare systems are designed to create.

Prevention starts upstream

Prevention is central to reducing pet homelessness, but prevention is not one single intervention. It is the result of multiple efforts working together to strengthen the system around pets and the people who care for them.

With continued support from the Mars Impact Fund, Humane World for Animals is able to work alongside local partners to expand access to essential veterinary services and keep pets healthy, cared for, and with the families who love them. The investment is not in isolated interventions, but in sustainable, community-led solutions that address the root causes of pet homelessness.

Turning data into lasting impact

The State of Pet Homelessness Project gives us something our sector has often lacked: a clearer understanding of why pets become homeless in different communities. But data alone doesn't change outcomes. Rather, it’s  its value lies in how we choose to use it.

In Mexico, those insights are being translated into action, expanding access to veterinary care, strengthening local veterinary capacity, supporting responsible pet ownership, and building partnerships that help communities care for their animals over the long term.

Pet homelessness is a complex challenge, but complexity shouldn't discourage us it should guide us. When we understand the local drivers, we can invest in solutions that are tailored to the communities we serve, address root causes rather than symptoms, and create lasting change.

Because the goal isn't simply to help animals after they become homeless.

It is to build communities where fewer pets become homeless in the first place.

[Explore the State of Pet Homelessness Project country reports to learn more about the data and insights helping inform action for pets around the world.]

Dr. Katherine Polak is a veterinarian and Senior Vice President of Global Programs and Policy at Humane World for Animals, where she oversees global programs spanning companion animals, wildlife, farm animal welfare, animal rescue and disaster response, and animal-free science initiatives.