The Evolving Role of Triage and Appointment-Based Admission to Improve Service, Care and Outcomes in Animal Shelters

Housing-related companion animal relinquishment across 21 animal shelters in the United States from 2019-2023

Housing issues are a major contributor to companion animal relinquishment in the United States and beyond. In this study, we analyze a database of shelter intake records from 2019-2023 from 21 shelters across the United States to assess rates and subtypes of housing relinquishment, characteristics and outcomes of the relinquished animals, and longitudinal trends in housing relinquishment. Housing issues represented 14% (n = 28,424) of overall intakes in the broader database (N = 1,021,204 total intake records). Housing relinquishment subtypes were unspecified (54%), pet-related restrictions (27%), landlord issues (8%), housing loss (5%), and unhoused owners (5%). Large (mean weight: 55 lbs) and small dogs (mean weight: 11 lbs) were most common. Pit bull-type dogs comprised 12% of the overall relinquishments and mixed-breed dogs were 35%. Most animals had a live outcome, but live outcomes decreased over time (p < 0.001, z = -6.91, slope = -0.11), and pit bull-type dogs (X 2(1) = 243.63, p < 0.001) and animals relinquished by unhoused owners (OR = 0.64, p < 0.05) were most at risk of euthanasia or other shelter death. Over the study period, intakes due to loss of home increased (p < 0.001, z = 9.82, slope = 0.29), while intakes due to pet restrictions (p < 0.001, z = -6.82, slope = -0.17) and landlord issues decreased (p < 0.001, z = -4.89, slope = -0.08). Overall cat intakes increased (p < 0.001, z = 3.60, slope = 7.34), while dog intakes decreased (p < 0.001, z = -4.89, slope = -0.08). The number of intakes that were pit bull-type dogs (compared to all other breeds) decreased over time (p < 0.001, z = -4.56, slope = -0.06), as did average animal weight (p < 0.001, z = -4.42, slope = -0.07) and age (p < 0.001, z = -7.88, slope = -0.16). We discuss these findings in the context of the previous shelter and pet-friendly housing research and broader housing trends and policies in the United States.

Predictors of successful diversion of cats and dogs away from animal shelter intake: Analysis of data from a self-rehoming website

As animals experience distress in animal shelters, leaders call for increased efforts to divert intake of companion animals away from shelters. One novel intake diversion strategy is supported self-rehoming, where owners find new homes for their animals without surrendering to a physical shelter. This study aimed to identify predictors of successful diversion of animals through the AdoptaPet.com 'Rehome' online platform. Data for dogs (n = 100,342) and cats (n = 48,484) were analysed through logistic regression to assess the association of animal- and owner-related factors and outcome. Overall, 87.1% of dogs and 85.7% of cats were successfully diverted from animal shelters, out of which, 37.8% of dogs and 35.3% of cats were kept by their original owner. Multiple animal-related factors predicted increased odds of diversion (e.g. younger, smaller). Dog and cat owners who set a longer rehoming deadline (i.e. > 8 weeks) were over twice as likely to keep or adopt out their animal. Dog owners who surrendered for owner-related reasons had increased odds of diversion in comparison to animal behaviour issues. We conclude that online-supported, self-rehoming platforms provide pet owners with an alternative to relinquishment that may reduce the intake of animals to shelters; however, owners with animals that are not preferred by adopters may have to decide whether to keep their animal or relinquish their animal to a shelter or rescue. These results provide guidance for animal shelter professionals on the likelihood of successful diversion programmes given certain animal and owner characteristics.

When and Why Cats Are Returned to Shelters

There is considerable research on why cats are initially relinquished to shelters, but much less attention has been given to returns, despite the significant implications for shelter capacity and cat welfare. Furthermore, the structure of many databases fails to account for cats who are returned beyond 30 days, despite this making up a substantial portion of returns. In the current study, we examined common risk factors and reasons for return in a population of 2642 shelter cats. We found that cats who were older at the time of adoption or had a bite history had an increased risk of return, whereas cats that were in foster care prior to adoption had a decreased risk of return. We divided the returns by the time to return (<30 days: short term, >30 days: long term) to examine whether time to return had an impact. Approximately half the cats were returned in the short term. Cats were more likely to be returned for reasons, such as behavior, unwanted, and other pet in the short term and personal reasons, cost, euthanasia, and stray in the long-term return. Strategies to reduce returns should consider different solutions for short and long returns to maximize effectiveness.

Quantification of a shelter cat population: Trends in intake, length of stay and outcome data of cats in seven Dutch shelters between 2006 and 2021

Shelter metrics can be used by shelters for self-assessment to optimise the health of their animal population and to identify risk factors for disease outbreaks. However, there is a need for a wider scope of these shelter metrics, as evidenced by the interest from shelters in the benchmarking of shelter progress and the development of national best practices. For the first time, Dutch shelter data were used retrospectively to signal trends using potentially reliable metrics for the analysis of shelter data. The aims of this study were to apply relevant metrics describing the different phases of shelter management for shelter cats (i.e., intake, stay and outcome) and a retrospective analysis of shelter data over the period between 2006 and 2021. Seven of the approximately 120 Dutch animal shelters participated in this study. Quantitative data on the intake of more than 74,000 shelter cats (e.g., stray cats, cats surrendered by their owners and cats obtained from other sources) and their outcomes (i.e., cats rehomed, returned to their owners, deceased, or otherwise lost) have been analysed. Metrics such as rehoming rate, return to owner rate, rates for mortality and euthanasia, length of stay and risk-based live release rate were determined. The main findings of the study during this 16-year period were that, over time, the number of cats per 1000 residents admitted to Dutch shelters was reduced by 39%, the number of feline euthanasia cases decreased by approximately 50%, the length of stay showed a reducing trend, while the return to owner and the risk-based live release rate increased. The shelter metrics examined in this study could be helpful in monitoring and evaluating the management, consequent health, and well-being of cats in shelters and eventually measuring progress of shelters both in the Netherlands and at a European level.

Interviews with Indian Animal Shelter Staff: Similarities and Differences in Challenges and Resiliency Factors Compared to Western Counterparts

Animal shelters in India are at the forefront of efforts to improve free-ranging dog welfare and tackle animal overpopulation. In terms of cultural and political context, access to resources, and public health challenges, they operate in a very different environment than Western counterparts. Despite these distinctions, current sheltering literature is largely centered around countries such as the United States. The goal of this exploratory study was to examine the experiences of Indian animal shelter staff. Researchers conducted ten semi-structured interviews, in a mix of Hindi and English, with managers, veterinary nurses, and animal caretakers from three shelters. Using thematic analysis, shelter challenges as well as resiliency factors that enable staff to cope with these challenges were identified. Key challenges were inadequate funding, community conflict, and high intake numbers. Resiliency factors included flexibility, duty of care, co-worker relationships, and understanding animal needs. The results of this qualitative study revealed that the experiences of shelter staff are shaped by social, political, and cultural factors and that there is a need for further, context specific research on Indian sheltering rather than only relying on Western perspectives.

Trends in Intake and Outcome Data From U.S. Animal Shelters From 2016 to 2020

In this retrospective, exploratory study, intake and outcome data were compiled from 1,373 U.S. animal shelters for which such data were reported consistently across a five-year study period (2016–2020). Linear regression analysis was used to examine the five-year trends and the impacts of the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic (2020) on the overall trends in intake and outcomes in U.S. animal shelters. The results of the analysis reveal that total intake and euthanasia for both dogs and cats significantly decreased over the study period. The adoption, return-to-owner, return-to-field, and transfer (for cats) categories as a percentage of intake all showed significant increases. Live release rates as a function of total intakes and total outcomes for both dogs and cats showed significant increases over the study period. The findings from this study address a critical gap in the field by summarizing emerging trends at the national level in how cats and dogs are being served in U.S. animal shelters.