More shelter pets adopted in 2024, but the fight isn’t over
In a reversal of the pandemic slump, thousands more shelter pets are safe in new homes compared to the prior year, based on Best Friends’ preliminary* 2024 data. Most notably, 2.3% fewer animals were killed in shelters last year, and there has been a 10.1% decrease in cats killed in shelters, which is the lowest point in history. Let’s dive into the trends.
Adoptions of both dogs and cats increased by 3.9% overall
This year, we saw more and more organizations innovate or implement what we at Best Friends call lifesaving programs, and, well, the proof is in the pudding. It worked! These initiatives include community cat programs, lost pet reunification, strong foster programs, and barrier-free adoption policies.
This kind of programming doesn’t just happen overnight or without intentionality. The real heroes of this progress are the people doing the work behind these programs to increase lifesaving in their organizations and their communities. It takes animal lovers of all kinds — staff, volunteers, supporters — to make this kind of change, so I’m giving a big WOOHOO to everyone involved in increasing our nation’s pet adoption rate.
Across the country, 2.3% fewer animals were killed in shelters in 2024
This marks the first positive trend in this data point since 2020. Since the pandemic began, the number of animals killed in shelters had steadily increased — but in an encouraging change, this number decreased in 2024. And to top it off, with a 10.1% decrease in cats killed in shelters, the number of cats killed in shelters is now at the lowest point in history. The combination of increased adoptions and embracing community cat and other lifesaving programs has greatly benefited our feline friends. Another WOOHOO!
While we’re seeing some of the most promising lifesaving trends in years, there’s one area we’re falling short: dogs. Especially big dogs. Despite the increase in dog adoptions, the number of dogs killed in shelters increased by 5% last year. The calls to adopt and foster are as urgent as ever, as the increase in adoptions isn’t enough to keep up with the 2.3% rise in dog intake.
There’s more work to be done
I’m thrilled about the positive trends we’re seeing for animals in shelters across the country, but there is more work to do right now to save lives, particularly the lives of large dogs. Now is the moment for all of us to lean into lifesaving, including local rescue organizations that play a critical role in shelter lifesaving. Organizations of every type have an opportunity to capitalize on the positive adoption trends, with open, barrier-free processes focused on saving as many animals as possible.
To help every community in America take needed action to save pets in the shelters where they live, Best Friends created a first-of-its-kind pet lifesaving dashboard. Animal lovers like you can see how your local shelter (or any shelter in the country) is doing. The pet lifesaving dashboard is the only resource in animal welfare that gives insight into shelter-level information for every brick-and-mortar shelter in the country and ends the guesswork in animal sheltering. By knowing exactly where and which animals are at risk, the shelter AND the community can engage in lifesaving solutions.
This year’s numbers tell a story of a turnaround — but also of unfinished business. Next year’s data will reflect the choices we make today. Let’s work together and do all we can to make every shelter and every community no-kill in 2025.
-Julie
*The data used for this blog was reported to Best Friends by representative samples of 688 organizations from December 2023 to November 2024.
