The Association Blog

This week’s tip looks at some of the field’s early work to gather information on animal-level data—and how to best collect and utilize it.

“Animal-level data is the next big thing in animal welfare data,” shared Stephanie Filer, President of Shelter Animals Count (SAC), in last week’s webinar, Quality Time: Standards for Entering & Using Data.

Animal-level data comprises all the data points tied directly to an individual animal, from intake and outcome to age and breed type, making for a more holistic view of a single animal in a shelter. “It allows for deeper analysis and more strategically focused decision-making,” added Filer.

But how to begin collecting and ensuring accuracy of this data—and then make decisions based on it? SAC, in collaboration with Tufts University Center for Shelter Dogs, recently released results from a two-year pilot study that addressed these questions.

The study looked at animal-level data from 98 shelter partners, with 92 of those shelters submitting at least 12 months of usable data. Researchers identified over 128 unique intake types and 102 unique outcome types. Download a .pdf of the full summary, including challenges, solutions and next steps.

To learn more, be sure to join us for parts 2 & 3 of the Strength in Numbers webinar series:
Decisions, Decisions: Using Data to Evaluate Programs & Identify Opportunities and
What’s The Story with Your Data?

More Tips

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Tip of the Week: Native Land Map
Tip of the Week: Three Good Things