“It’s not because there’s more animals, but because they’re holding on to them,” Peralta said.
The 639 shelters examined by Best Friends cumulatively took in 1.3 million animals from January to September, but the data showed stark differences between municipal and private shelters, such as humane societies and foster agencies.
Intake rates rose more than 7% at municipal shelters but less than 2% at private facilities. For dogs, the rates were even higher – 13% at municipal shelters and 3% at private facilities.
While private facilities generally have much more control over their intakes, the disparity was even more pronounced in terms of adoptions. Municipal shelters adopted out 8.6% of animals; for dogs, the figure was an astonishing 17%.
However, adoption rates fell at private organizations by 1.3%, rising only slightly (1.6%) for those with municipal contracts.
Meanwhile, the gains made at municipal agencies were largely cancelled out by an 18% drop in the number of “rescue pulls” – animals transferred to those private agencies, which are often better equipped to adopt them out.
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