The Association Blog

If sheltering is not just about focusing on one statistic, then what is it about? Dr. Emily Weiss reminds us that people, and animals, are always going to need our services

I have been thinking a lot about goals in sheltering, and how, over the past couple of decades, these goals have shaped funding, support, community advocacy and morale. Goals to end euthanasia, end homelessness, and end intake all aim to arrive at a future where there are no at-risk animals. A future where, as that old industry joke goes, we do such a good job we put ourselves out of business. Trust me – I would love nothing more than to see this future. But does setting our sights on such an aspirational goal now hurt our cause in the long run? I would argue that yes, it does…. Hear me out.

The latest SAC data shows that intake for dogs is about the same as it has been compared to the two years previous, while adoptions remain relatively flat. In many cases, animals are spending more time in the shelter, making for crowded spaces. For many in the field, it feels like we’re just plugging up the holes in a dam, especially for those whose goals are ever-decreasing intakes and increasing live outcomes. A feeling that we can never get ahead of it all.

But I think some data from outside of the shelter walls can help us understand what we are really seeing.  Here is an interesting and buoying statistic: dog ownership has been increasing significantly. Like, really significantly. Like, holy S* has it been increasing!  Whether you are looking at APPA, AVMA or other data, all show a steady rise (with a blip of a decrease after the COVID everyone-needs-a-pet anomaly) in dog-owning households.

This chart of AVMA and APPA data shows what I am talking about.

This data is pretty compelling. The increase in dog-owning households is tremendous.  But why does this matter?  With so many more dogs “in circulation,” if things were really going to S*** , then intake would be substantially increasing! Instead – intake has held steady. Heck, intake holding steady would by itself be something to celebrate if the number of dog-owning households held steady. Instead, the number of households has climbed by the millions, while intake is holding steady. That is pretty remarkable.

Using the more conservative AVMA estimate of about 59 million dog-owning households, and the common estimate of 1.5 dogs per household, that means there are about 88,500,000 dogs in homes currently. With 2024 shelter intake at 2.9 million for dogs, that means shelters took in about 3.3% of all dogs currently in homes. In the past few years, shelters have taken in the smallest percentage of the overall number of dogs in US households; this is likely a lower rate of dog-owning households than during any other time for which we have recorded data. 

Now, I think we have to acknowledge that there are pets out there in need of shelter who are being denied entry due to overly strict managed intake processes. While originally a strategy to decrease intake for those who could be supported in homes, an unfortunate outcome may be an increase in suffering for animals who cannot be supported in their homes who are denied access to our services. Of course, when we accept these animals (which I hope will happen soon), intake would be higher.

In any financial/political climate, we need to assume that not everyone will be able to keep their pets, or be able to find their lost pet. And we also have to assume that not everyone in need will be able to find a safer place for their pet to land than a shelter. I would say one reason shelters exist is to provide help for the pets in the community whose owners cannot access help other ways. Some pets may need rehoming, some may need help to find their way back home, some need access to a humane death to end their suffering. And some need for their people to have access to resources that can keep the whole family together.

This change in thinking – really a Zeitgeist shift – could be the lever we must pull to best support the people, like many of you reading this, working so hard and passionately to take care of animals entering shelters. Right now we are rallying communities, municipalities, and funders to fight toward a goal that is unachievable if we want people to have pets in their homes (and I know I do). We are driving staff to burnout, driving communities to fight us and each other, and causing grantors to turn away from funding foundational aspects of our work, such as S/N and adoptions promotions, that will always need support.

So what does it look like when we get to done? Well maybe most importantly, what it does not mean…

Done does not mean that no one, animal or human, needs our services. Done does not mean that there is no longer a need for innovation. There absolutely is! Innovation for keeping pets healthy in shelter, for getting animals out of the shelter and into great homes, for keeping the pets who don’t need to come into the shelter from having to come into the shelter…

Done looks like having the funds to responsibly do the work in your community to assure that the animals who fall at risk can be supported. Because there will always be animals at risk. Sorry – this is just the way it is. This is not solely an individual non-profit shelter fundraising responsibility. This is municipalities, foundations and granting organizations understanding that when people are in need, their pets are too. It is an understanding that sheltering is not about one statistic – be it “save rate,” “live release rate” or number/percent euthanized. It is about supporting the animals at risk in the most welfare-appropriate way for that animal. It is about celebrating the animals we did help. Done also involves a high sense of urgency to get those who need to come into the shelter through the system quickly to the most humane outcome available at that time. It is about gaining a bigger piece of the acquisition pie by getting more shelter dogs adopted and home more quickly.

I know that, at first glance, my goal is not as sexy as some of those others that the public have latched onto so strongly. “We are here now and we will be here in the future…” isn’t as motivating or aspirational as 0% euthanasia. I get that. But a humane community where pets can be supported in the ways that are best for their welfare is pretty special to me. What about you?

Just 3.3% of all dogs in homes entered a shelter in 2024. What percentage of pets living in homes do you think will need access to a shelter at some point in their lives?