New report reveals shelter pet adoption data

Photo: Valeriia/Adobe Stock

A recent report on shelter cat and dog adoption indicates animal shelters throughout the United States have been experiencing an overcrowding crisis for 4 years in a row with animals experiencing an increased length of stay since 2019. Shelters and rescues received 6.5 million cats and dogs in 2023 alone.¹

The 2024 report, Hill’s Pet Nutrition State of Shelter Pet Adoption Report, is an annual research initiative by Hill’s Pet Nutrition on the obstacles to pet adoption. Highlighting issues such as the cost of pet care, access to veterinary services, and housing restrictions, the report is based on insights from a socio-economically diverse group of 2500 current and prospective pet owners, according to an organizational release.¹

The report offers a comprehensive look at consumer perceptions and behaviors and reveals the factors contributing to the rising number of animals entering shelters and the declining adoption rates. It also includes perspectives from animal welfare leaders and innovative shelter programs to highlight potential pathways and solutions for overcoming adoption barriers, reducing owner surrenders, and boosting adoption rates.¹

"The 2024 Hill's Pet Nutrition State of Shelter Pet Adoption Report gives the animal welfare community difference-making data," Jim Tedford, president and CEO at The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement, said in a release.¹ "It allows animal shelters to better understand what pet parents need to make adoption more accessible so they can equip pet parents with the information and resources needed to welcome a shelter pet into their home."

Report findings

According to the release, additional report findings revealed that^1,2:

• Overall, 66% of Americans are receptive to adopting shelter pets, with younger generations showing an even greater inclination to adopt.
• Almost half of respondents reported cost of pet ownership as the biggest challenge to pet ownership.
• 84% of respondents said veterinary care is the costliest part of pet ownership.
• Pet adoption is more challenging for individuals earning less than $75,000, with those making less than that amount being more likely to surrender a pet because of financial difficulties.
• Individuals earning less than $50,000 are more likely to encounter pet-related housing restrictions and are more frequently affected by the cost of veterinary care when deciding whether to adopt a pet.
• Fewer than 25% of respondents said they were likely to adopt a large dog, and 37% of those aged 18 to 24 years were open to adopting a large dog.
• Forty percent of prospective fosters are afraid to adopt their foster pet, and 64% of potential foster caregivers indicated that they would be likely to foster if the costs of pet care were covered during the process. According to the release, fostering generally requires minimal financial investment.

Findings on post-adoption support

• Respondents rated post-adoption behavioral services as more likely to positively impact adoption decisions (34%) compared to pre-adoption behavioral services (30%).
• Among those who experienced anxiety after adoption, 46% identified behavioral issues as the primary cause.
• For individuals who had surrendered a pet, 24% cited behavioral or training problems as the main reason for relinquishment.
• A vast majority (94%) of pet owners who considered giving up their pet chose to keep it after receiving support.

The animal shelter crisis

According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, approximately only 100,000 of millions of shelter cats who enter the shelter as strays are returned to their owners.³ Since January 2021, animal shelter populations have seen an increase of 900,000 animals.¹ Data from Shelter Animals Count, a national database for animal rescues and shelters, revealed that animals of all sizes are facing longer stays in shelters compared to 2019, which is exacerbating the crisis of overcapacity in these facilities, according to the news release.¹

"Collaboration and a community-centric approach are crucial to finding impactful ways to address pet homelessness and over-capacity issues in animal shelters," Karen Shenoy, DVM, US chief veterinary officer at Hill's Pet Nutrition, said in the release.¹ "Outside of our more than 22-year history of providing nutritional support to more than 1,000 animal shelters, we are also committed to providing support beyond nutrition to give our shelter partners and the broader animal welfare community data and insights to help us work collectively to create a happier and healthier world for pets and the people who care for them.”

"Animal sheltering organizations across the country are now grappling with a 'new normal' where dogs are now waiting nearly twice as long to get adopted than they were prior to the pandemic," expressed Stephanie Filer, executive director at Shelter Animals Count, in the release.¹ "The Hill's Pet Nutrition State of Shelter Pet Adoption Report provides invaluable insights into why the capacity crisis is occurring so that sheltering organizations, and their communities alike, can actually do something about it."

References

1. Hill’s pet nutrition releases 2024 state of shelter pet adoption report. New release. Hill’s Pet Nutrition. July 25, 2024. Accessed July 29, 2024. https://prnmedia.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hills-pet-nutrition-releases-2024-state-of-shelter-pet-adoption-report-302206618.html
2. Hill’s Pet Nutrition 2024 State of Shelter Pet Adoption Report. Hill’s Pet Nutrition. Accessed July 29, 2024. https://www.hillspet.com/content/dam/cp-sites/hills/hills-pet/en_us/general/documents/shelter/shelter-equity-state-of-pet-adoption-2024.pdf
3. Pet statistics. American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Accessed July 29, 2024. https://www.aspca.org/helping-people-pets/shelter-intake-and-surrender/pet-statistics