The Capital Region euthanizes pets at twice the rate for the northeastern United States, an animal rights organization says in a report calling for a regional effort to change the practice.

Others argue those numbers are skewed, and the region is already taking steps to expand neutering and spaying services to prevent unwanted kittens and puppies.

The Humane Society of the Capital Region conducted a study of 11 counties including Albany, Schenectady, Rensselaer and Saratoga. It found that the region puts animals to death at a greater rate per person than other areas of the state. The four shelters euthanize pets at a rate of 3.4 animals per 1,000 people, as compared to 1.3 per 1,000 for the northeastern United States.

More than 11,000 animals were euthanized between 2009 and 2011 at the four major animal shelters in the region, the report said. At the same time, nonprofit organizations dedicated to the animals raised more than $25 million.

"We were shocked by the number of animals euthanized," said Kathlene Thiel, president of the organization. "We were like 'Wow!' We knew it was happening. We just didn't know how many."

The Capital Region group formed in 2009 and said its mission was to put together comprehensive data on animal welfare in the region.

But Brad Shear, president of the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society, said those numbers may be skewed. His organization — which is not connected with Thiel's — runs a shelter in Menands and provides euthanasia, neutering and spaying services.

Eighty-five percent of the animals brought to his organization are adopted out, he said. Some of the animals euthanized there come from families whose animals are ill but who cannot afford to pay a private veterinarian.

"I don't know where they are getting this data from," Shear said. "Euthanasia numbers are only relevant compared to the numbers of animals coming in. Euthanasia numbers in a vacuum don't tell you anything."

Michael Daugherty, executive director of the Animal Protective Foundation in Scotia, said his agency, too, puts animals to sleep if the owners cannot afford to pay a vet.

"The whole area of euthanasia is a difficult one to measure," he said. "We try very hard to minimize that. Every animal that comes in here is thoroughly screened and behavior tested."

More Information Share your thoughts: Discuss this story in either our Dogs blog or Cats blog. See More Collapse

The new organization said too few animals are being spayed and neutered, leading to overpopulation. The Capital Region society says such services are inadequate in the region, with some counties providing no services to enable low-income residents to have their pets treated. About 50,000 dogs alone are not spayed or neutered, the society said.

Shear said there is always a need for more services, but his organization and others have been expanding services in recent years.

"In the last couple of years, there has been a tremendous expansion," he said.

His agency received a grant to offer spay and neuter services free to people on public assistance. The shelter also offers such services at a reduced cost for households with an income of $35,000 or less that are not on public assistance.

Saratoga County's shelter built a new building within the past couple of years, Shear said.

In Scotia, the Animal Protective Association will open a new building this spring to expand its spay and neuter services, Daugherty said.

"With every shelter, everybody is working so hard with so few resources," he said.

Also mentioned in the report was the Columbia Greene Humane Society/ASPCA.

Thiel said her group aims to bring together animal welfare organizations to share information and hopes to hold a forum for people to discuss these issues. Their report is not meant as a criticism of any organization, she emphasized.

"The first premise we're operating under is if you want to improve something, you need to set a goal and you need to know what you're starting from," she said. "Animal welfare is a lot of individuals working in various groups. The history has been not a lot of sharing. We don't want to disparage any of the organizations out there. They are all working hard. We are so appreciative of what everyone is out there doing on animal welfare. We don't think we can improve on it until people understand what the problem is."

But Shear said he has not heard from the organization, and he does regularly talk to others in his field.

"I had a conversation today with two other shelter directors," he said. "We all keep in touch. To my knowledge, this group hasn't really reached out to talk to us about what they are doing. I am always happy to talk to people who are interested in making lives better for animals."

tobrien@timesunion.com • 518-454-5092 • @timobrientu