Shelter Animals Count Finds a 24% Decrease in Pets Entering Shelters

A new data report from Shelter Animals Count spotlights a 24% decrease in cats and dogs entering animal shelters and rescue groups nationwide.

MONTCLAIR, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A new report from Shelter Animals Count, home to the national database of animal shelter statistics, identifies the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on animal shelters.

“Animal shelter intake in March was down dramatically compared to last year, with 24% fewer cats and dogs entering shelters or rescues,” said Sara Kent, Chief Executive Officer at Shelter Animals Count. “A notable difference is a 28% decrease in pets relinquished by their owners.”

Pet Adoption Impact

While March adoptions were down overall by 11% compared to last year, the rate of pets adopted compared to other possible outcomes increased by 4%. Some shelters are reporting empty kennels as community members step up to adopt or temporarily foster pets.

“Foster volunteers have been critically important to our effort to make sure we can care for homeless animals whatever the COVID-19 crisis brings,” said Anne Reed, President & CEO at Wisconsin Humane Society. “Our longstanding foster volunteers have been joined by hundreds of people who have never fostered before and saw this opportunity to make a difference.”

Shelter Animals Count Data

The COVID-19 report analyzed data from 1,127 organizations reporting both March 2019 and March 2020 data to the national database as of April 10, 2020. Shelter Animals Count will continue to monitor and report on trends during the coronavirus pandemic. The COVID-19 report and interactive dashboards featuring data from 2011 – 2019 are available at https://www.shelteranimalscount.org.

About Shelter Animals Count

Shelter Animals Count is a collaborative nonprofit organization formed by a diverse group of stakeholders to create, steward and share the national database of sheltered animal statistics, providing facts and enabling insights that will save lives. To find out more about Shelter Animals Count, or to access the data, visit https://www.shelteranimalscount.org/