Understanding Organization Type and Regional Data: Insights from Shelter Animals Count's 2024 Year-End Analysis - Shelter Animals Count
13Mar’25
Shelter Animals Count’s latest 2024 year-end analysis provides a closer look at organization type data, offering critical insights into how different organizations manage community intakes and non-live outcomes. In our 2024 Year End Report, we now have additional data that breaks down organization-type analysis as well as regional annual data. This data was introduced during our 2024 Year End Report webinar, which you can now watch the recording where this analysis was featured. By examining data trends across government shelters, private organizations, contract-based shelters, and rescues, we gain a clearer picture of where animals enter the system and how their outcomes vary by organization type.
Community Intakes by Organization Type
Understanding where community intakes occur helps identify trends in animal care and sheltering:
- +Government Shelters (Municipal/County-Run): 48.2%
- + Private Shelters (Nonprofits Without Contracts): 13.3%
- + Contract-Based Shelters (Private with Municipal Contracts): 23.5%
- + Rescue Organizations (Primarily Foster-Based): 15.0%
Government-run shelters continue to handle nearly half of all community intakes, reinforcing their critical role in public animal welfare services. A reminder that community intakes does not include transfer in data to ensure that animals are only counted once.
Key Trends by Organization Type
All charts of community intakes are dogs and cats combined by org type.
Government Organizations
- + Community Intakes: Slight increase in cat intakes (+1.2%) due to more strays and other intakes (e.g. born in care and seizures). Other intakes now make up 10% of all cat intakes (up from 8% in 2019). Dog intakes remain steady.
- + Adoptions: Up 4.5% for cats and 3.1% for dogs, with adoption rates reaching 45% for cats and 41% for dogs.
- + Owner Surrenders: Notably down for both cats (-3.7%) and dogs (-2.4%) compared to 2023.
- + Returns to Owner: Declined by 5.3% for dogs, with only 22% of dogs returned to owners, down from 26% in 2019.
- + Non-Live Outcomes: While declining for cats (-3.7%), dogs saw a 1.5% increase, with 15% of dogs experiencing a non-live outcome in 2024.
Shelters with Contract
- + Community Intakes: Stable for cats but down 1.8% for dogs compared to 2023.
- + Adoptions: Cat adoptions increased slightly (+0.4%), returning to 2019 levels. Dog adoptions remain 13.1% lower than 2019.
- + Non-Live Outcomes: Cat non-live outcomes increased slightly (+1.2%) from 2023 but remain 42% lower than 2019. Non-live outcome rate of intakes for cats increased one percentage point from 2023 to 12%. Dog non-live outcomes held steady at 12% from 2023.
Private Shelters
- + Community Intakes: Declined for both cats (-1.2%) and dogs (-5.8%) compared to 2023. However, owner surrenders for cats rose slightly (+1.8%).
- + Adoptions: Cat adoptions increased by 1% from 2023, with an 85% adoption rate. Dog adoptions dropped slightly (-2.6%), though 80% of dogs still found homes.
- + Non-Live Outcomes: Declined for both cats (-3.4%) and dogs (-6.1%) compared to 2023, showing greater stability in live outcomes.
Rescue Organizations
- + Community Intakes: Declined for both cats (-5.5%) and dogs (-7.5%) compared to 2023, though cat intakes remain 8.6% higher than in 2019.
- Adoptions: Cat adoptions increased (+1.4%) from 2023, with a 75% adoption rate. Dog adoptions have risen overall since 2019 but dipped 4.2% from 2023 levels.
Non-Live Outcomes by Organization Type
When we look at non-live outcomes (euthanasia, lost/missing, or other non-adoption placements) by organization type, we can indicate challenges faced by different organizations:
- + Government Shelters: 60.0% of all non-live outcomes – Non-live outcomes are declining for cats (3.7% before 2023 and 39.8% below 2019), primarily due to a decrease in euthanasia. Cats that died in care increased by 7.3% from 2023. For dogs, 1.5% more dogs had a non-live outcome compared to 2023 and 17.5% more than 2019.
- + Shelters without a contract: 9.4% of all non-live outcomes – Non-live outcomes are down for both dogs and cats in private organizations. 3.4% fewer cats and 6.1% fewer dogs experienced a non-live outcome compared to 2023. Non-live outcome rates for cats and dogs have remained consistent compared to government and contracted organizations.
- + Shelters with contract: 23.5% of all non-live outcomes – There was a 1.2% increase in non-live outcomes for cats compared to 2023, but they remain 42% lower than non-live outcomes totals in 2019. Non-live outcomes for dogs remained steady in 2024 compared to 2023 (-0.2%) at 12% of intakes.
- + Rescue Organizations: 7.1% of all non-live outcomes – Rescue organizations continue to see the least amount of non-live outcomes.
Government-run shelters account for the majority of non-live outcomes, likely due to their role as open-intake facilities.
What These Insights Mean
These findings highlight critical differences in how organization type impacts animal intake and outcomes:
✅ Government-run shelters handle the largest share of intakes and face challenges with non-live outcomes, particularly for dogs.
✅ Private and rescue organizations have higher adoption rates but take in fewer animals, focusing on a limited intake model and transfers.
✅ Contracted shelters show a balancing act between municipal responsibilities and nonprofit operations, with adoption rates stabilizing.
With animal welfare organizations still facing capacity challenges, this data reinforces the need for collaboration and targeted support to improve outcomes across all organization types.
Diving Deeper into Transfers
Explore More
We’ve added detailed organization and regional analysis pages to our 2024 year-end analysis report, including interactive charts to visualize these trends. Stay informed and see how your organization compares by exploring these
new resources.
Be Part of the Solution
We’ve added detailed organization analysis pages to our 2024 year-end analysis report, including interactive charts to visualize these trends. Stay informed and see how your organization compares by exploring these
new resources.
Your data matters. By sharing your organization’s intake and outcome data with Shelter Animals Count, you help build a more accurate national picture of animal sheltering. This data is used to drive policy decisions, secure funding, and develop strategies that benefit shelters, rescues, and the pets they serve.
Join us in making a difference—submit your data today.
🔹 Sign up or submit your data here
🔹 Explore our full 2024 Year-End Report
Together, we can use data to create meaningful change in animal welfare.