Reducing Shelter Intake: Reasons for Intake

Data and facts about shelter intake and why owners give up their pets.

Jump to: Overview | Demographics | Acquisition Source | Owner Relinquishment Reasons | Deep-Dive

Highlights

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Overview

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Descriptive Demographics

Jump to: Multinational Trend During Pandemic | Online Purchase Demographics and Relinquishment

Large Scale Survey of Relinquishment During Pandemic

External link: 
Carroll GA, Torjussen A and Reeve C (2022) Companion animal adoption and relinquishment during the COVID-19 pandemic: Peri-pandemic pets at greatest risk of relinquishment. Front. Vet. Sci. 9:1017954. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2022.1017954

Relinquisment and Considered Relinquishment, by Gender

Relinquishment Status	Male %
Considering Relinquishment	65.0%
Already Relinquished	72.2%
Overall (Considering or Already Relinquished)	65.8%

Relinquisment and Considered Relinquishment, by Timing of Acquisition

Timing of Pet Acquisition	Total	Never Considered Relinquishment	Considered Relinquishment	Relinquished
More than 6 Months Before Pandemic	85.8%	87.1%	62.5%	52.4%
Within 6 months before the pandemic	9.0%	8.1%	26.2%	28.6%
During the Pandemic	5.2%	4.8%	11.3%	19.0%

Research Summary | Back to Top

Impact of Online Purchase and Relinquishment During Pandemic

External link: 
Carroll GA, Torjussen A, Reeve C. Companion animal adoption and relinquishment during the COVID-19 pandemic: Households with children at greatest risk of relinquishing a cat or dog. Anim Welf. 2023;32:e56. Published 2023 Aug 18. https://doi.org/10.1017/awf.2023.77

Relinquishment or Those Who Considered Relinquishment

• Geographical Variation:
  • USA: 9.9%
  • Canada: 6.4%
  • Spain: 5.8%
  • Italy: 4.4%
  • UK: 3.0%
• Demographic Factors:
  • Gender: Male participants had a 49.6% increased probability of relinquishment compared to females.
  • Age of Pet: For every one-year increase in pet age, there was a 91.5% decreased probability of relinquishment.
  • Household Composition:
    • Households with children were 4.6 times more likely to consider or have already relinquished a cat or dog compared to those from households without children

Demographic Variable	Considered Relinquishment (%)	Never Consider Relinquishment (%)
Species
Cat	41.7	47.9
Dog	58.3	52.1
Gender
Male	66.7	49.7
Female	33.3	50.3
Dwelling type
House with garden	65.6	56.3
House with no garden	5.3	3.6
Apartment with garden	17.2	15.1
Apartment with no garden	11.9	25
Home ownership
Own	58.3	69.6
Rent	41.7	30.4
Children in the home
0 children	35.1	70.1
1 child	27.8	13.9
2 children	32.5	11.9
3 or 4 children	4.6	4.1
Adults in the home
1 adult	7.9	12.9
2 adults	49	47.4
3 adults	21.9	17
4 adults	10.6	18.6
5 or more adults	10.6	4.1
Other pets in the home
Yes	43.7	40.2
No	56.3	59.8
Martial status
Married/partner	65.6	54.1
Single	31.1	41.8
Seperated	0.7	2.1
Divorced	2.6	2.1
Education
Secondary school	19.9	32.5
College/University degree	51	43.8
Master’s degree	23.8	20.6
Doctoral degree	2	1
Other professional graduate/PG degree	3.3	2.1
Employment
Employed	69.5	63.9
Not working	14.6	14.9
Student	2	2.1
Retired	13.9	19.1
Illness
Mental	5.3	7.2
Physical	5.3	7.2
Reason for acquisition
Companionship	94	96.9
Use as a service animal	5.3	0
Training/Competitions	6.7	0.5
Working animal	2	0
Other	3.9	5.1

Related Data From Same Study (Acquisition Channels)

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Acquisition Source

Jump to: Multinational Survey During Pandemic

Large Scale Survey of Relinquishment During Pandemic

External link: 
Carroll GA, Torjussen A and Reeve C (2022) Companion animal adoption and relinquishment during the COVID-19 pandemic: Peri-pandemic pets at greatest risk of relinquishment. Front. Vet. Sci. 9:1017954. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2022.1017954

Source of Acquisition by Relinquishment Status

Source of Acquisition	Never Considered Relinquishment (n=3,756)	Considered Relinquishment (n=168)	Relinquished (n=21)
Adopted from a shelter / organization	31.2	24.4	19.0
Purchased from a breeder	33.2	35.1	38.1
As a gift	5.5	16.1	19.0
Directly from someone that needed to find a new home for their cat or dog	19.8	15.5	9.5
Directly rom someone that was seeking temporary care for their cat or dog	0.3	1.5	14.3
Found as a stray	7.3	7.7	0.0
Other	2.6	0.0	0.0

Research Summary | Back to Top

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Owner Relinquishment Reasons

Jump to: BC (Canada) Relinquishment (2008-2019) | Denmark Relinquishment (1996-2017) | Colordao (US) Relinqushment (2018-2023) | Multinational Trends During Pandemic | Texas (US) Intakes & Returns (2018)

BC SPCA Shelter Relinquishment Reasons (2008-2019)

External link: 
Kisley MA, Chung EJ, Levitt H. Investigating the Reasons behind Companion Animal Relinquishment: A Systematic Content Analysis of Shelter Records for Cats and Dogs, 2018–2023. Animals. 2024; 14(17):2606. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14172606

Annual Intake

Year	Guardian Relinquish	Other Intake	Guardian Relinquish %	Other Intake %
2008	3577	7809	31%	69%
2009	3505	7441	32%	68%
2010	3446	7208	32%	68%
2011	3261	6936	32%	68%
2012	3230	5988	35%	65%
2013	2644	5043	34%	66%
2014	2396	5119	32%	68%
2015	2382	4890	33%	67%
2016	2029	4482	31%	69%
2017	1919	4363	31%	69%
2018	1780	4027	31%	69%
2019	1911	3525	35%	65%

Characteristics of Dogs Entering the Shelter

Characteristics	Total	Within Category %	Within Guardian Relinquished Population % (n = 32,081)
Age group
Puppy	8,485	26.7	26.4
Young adult	7,622	24.0	23.7
Adult	12,189	38.4	37.9
Senior	3,394	10.7	10.5
Spay/neuter status
Yes	21,226	67.0	66.1
No	10,443	32.9	32.5
Asilomar accord category
Healthy	2,918	38.0	9.0
Treatable-rehabilitatable	3,321	43.2	10.3
Treatable-manageable	1,101	14.3	3.4
Unhealthy-untreatable	331	4.3	1.0
Dog size
Smaller	7,785	58.0	24.2
Larger	5,627	41.9	17.5
Dog sex
Female	15,480	48.4	48.2
Male	16,473	51.5	51.3
Breed
Suspected purebred	1,048	3.2	3.2
Mixed	31,033	96.7	96.7
Population center size
Small	13,539	42.2	42.2
Medium	9,846	30.7	30.6
Large	8,678	27.0	27.0

Primary Reasons for Relinquishment (Overall)

Reason for Relinquishment	Total	Percentage (%)
Too Many	6,179	19
Housing Issues	5,309	17
Personal Issues	4,955	15
Can’t Afford	3,311	10
Behavior	3,213	10
Guardian Health	2,449	8
No Longer Wanted	1,189	4
Animal Health	148	0.5
Animal Characteristics	72	0.2
Community Dog	5	0.01
Other	3,777	12

Relinquishment Risk Factors by Primary Reason

An odds ratio > 1 suggests an increased risk of relinquishment of that the characteristic category, while an odds ratio <1 suggests a reduced risk. Non-statistically significant results are excluded from the plot.

1. When Relinquished Because of “Too Many”

Factor	Odds Ratio (OR)
Puppy (vs. Adult)	7.47
Senior (vs. Adult)	0.286
Smaller Dog (vs. Larger)	1.28
Purebred (vs. Mixed)	0.347
Small Population (vs. Large)	7.04
Medium Population (vs. Large)	3.72
Time (Yearly Increase)	1.16

2. When Relinquished Because of Housing Issues

Factor	Odds Ratio (OR)
Young Adult (vs. Adult)	0.81
Puppy (vs. Adult)	0.31
Senior (vs. Adult)	1.27
Small Population (vs. Large)	0.61
Treatable-Manageable (vs. Healthy)	0.77

3. When Relinquished Because of Personal Issues

Factor	Odds Ratio (OR)
Puppy (vs. Adult)	0.52
Male (vs. Female)	1.2
Treatable-Rehabilitatable (vs. Healthy)	0.69
Treatable-Manageable (vs. Healthy)	0.67
Unhealthy-Untreatable (vs. Healthy)	0.43
Small Population (vs. Large)	0.66
Medium Population (vs. Large)	0.61

4. When Relinquished Because of Financial Issues

Factor	Odds Ratio (OR)
Puppy (vs. Adult)	1.76
Treatable-Rehabilitatable (vs. Healthy)	3.5
Treatable-Manageable (vs. Healthy)	4.38
Unhealthy-Untreatable (vs. Healthy)	6.76
Small Population (vs. Large)	0.72
Male (vs. Female)	0.81
Time (Yearly Decrease)	0.94

5. When Relinquished Because of Dog Behavior

Factor	Odds Ratio (OR)
Puppy (vs. Adult)	0.16
Senior (vs. Adult)	0.55
Treatable-Rehabilitatable (vs. Healthy)	0.67
Smaller Dog (vs. Larger)	0.76
Time (Yearly Increase)	1.34

6. When Relinquished Because of Guardian Health

Factor	Odds Ratio (OR)
Puppy (vs. Adult)	0.13
Young Adult (vs. Adult)	0.47
Senior (vs. Adult)	1.89
Small Population (vs. Large)	0.65
Smaller Dog (vs. Larger)	1.82

Neuter Status

Population Center Size	Number Spayed/Neutered	% Spayed/Neutered	Number Spayed/Neutered (Age: 6 months+)	% Spayed/Neutered (Age: 6 months+)
Small	8,192	61%	6,373	70%
Medium	6,569	67%	5,204	74%
Large	6,461	74%	5,462	80%

Research Summary | Back to Top

Denmark Shelter Relinquishment Reasons (1996-2017)

External link: 
Jensen JBH, Sandøe P, Nielsen SS. Owner-Related Reasons Matter more than Behavioural Problems—A Study of Why Owners Relinquished Dogs and Cats to a Danish Animal Shelter from 1996 to 2017. Animals. 2020; 10(6):1064. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10061064

Reasons for Owner Relinquishment

Main Factors	Dogs %	Cats %	Overall %	First-Time Rel. %	Returned %
Owner related	75	74	75	82	49
Owner health	29	32	31	32	25
Housing issues	21	26	23	26	16
Lack of time	14	4	10	11	5
Lack of interest	10	11	11	4	3
Animal related	25	26	25	18	51
Behaviour	23	25	24	17	48
Physical state	0.5	0.8	0.7	0.4	2
Other	0.8	0.5	0.9	0.8	2

Research Summary | Back to Top

Colorado Shelter Relinquishment Reasons (2018-2023)

External link: 
Kisley MA, Chung EJ, Levitt H. Investigating the Reasons behind Companion Animal Relinquishment: A Systematic Content Analysis of Shelter Records for Cats and Dogs, 2018–2023. Animals. 2024; 14(17):2606. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14172606

I. Overall Relinquishment Reasons (2018-2023, Cats and Dogs Combined)

• Primary Reasons:
  • Behavior Issues: 28% (most frequent)
  • Housing/Moving: 18%
  • Unable to Care: 16%
  • Too Many Pets: 10%
  • Financial: 6%
  • Owner Allergies: 5%
• Specific Behavior Issues (among cases citing Behavior Issues as the primary reason):
  • Aggression: 32% (most frequent)
  • Social Conflict: 28%
  • Soiling: 13%
  • Too Energetic: 9%
  • Destructive Behaviors: 6%

II. Comparison of Relinquishment Reasons: Cats vs. Dogs (2018-2023)

• Reasons Higher for Cats:
  • Too Many Pets: 16% (cats) vs. 4% (dogs)
  • Owner Allergies: 6% (cats) vs. 4% (dogs)
  • No Owner: 4% (cats) vs. 1% (dogs)
  • CKC Program: 3% (cats) vs. 0% (dogs)
• Reasons Higher for Dogs:
  • Unable to Care: 19% (dogs) vs. 13% (cats)
  • Behavior Issues: 35% (dogs) vs. 21% (cats)
• Specific Behavior Issues:
  • More frequent for cats:
    • Social Conflict: 37% (cats) vs 22% (dogs)
    • Soiling: 23% (cats) vs 7% (dogs)
  • More frequent for dogs:
    • Aggression: 35% (dogs) vs 26% (cats)
    • Too Energetic: 13% (dogs) vs 3% (cats)
    • Destructive Behaviors: 8% (dogs) vs 4% (cats)
    • Escape Behaviors: 7% (dogs) vs 1% (cats)

III. Relinquishment Reasons: First-Time vs. Return Animals (2018-2023, Cats and Dogs Combined)

• Reasons Higher for Returned Animals:
  • Behavior Issues: 59% (return) vs. 22% (first)
  • Sick Animal: 4% (return) vs. 3% (first)
• Reasons Lower for Returned Animals:
  • Housing/Moving: 8% (return) vs. 20% (first)
  • Unable to Care: 10% (return) vs. 17% (first)
  • Too Many Pets: 1% (return) vs. 12% (first)
  • Financial: 2% (return) vs. 7% (first)
  • No Owner: 1% (return) vs. 3% (first)
  • CKC Program: 0% (return) vs. 2% (first)
  • Specific behavior issue:
    • Soiling: 6% (return) vs 17% (first)

IV. Relinquishment Reason Trends Over Time (2018-2023, Cats and Dogs Combined)

• Unable to Care:
  • 2022 (19%) and 2023 (20%) significantly higher than 2019 (11%).
• Owner Allergies:
  • 2022 (3%) significantly lower than 2019 (8%).
• Military-Related:
  • 2020 (0%) significantly lower than 2018 (3%) and 2023 (3%).
• CKC Program:
  • 2022 (4%) and 2023 (3%) significantly higher than 2018 (0%), 2019 (0%), and 2020 (0%).

Research Summary | Back to Top

Large Scale Global Survey of Relinquishment During Pandemic

External link: 
Carroll GA, Torjussen A and Reeve C (2022) Companion animal adoption and relinquishment during the COVID-19 pandemic: Peri-pandemic pets at greatest risk of relinquishment. Front. Vet. Sci. 9:1017954. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2022.1017954

Reasons for Considering or Actually Giving Up A Pet

Reason for considering or actually giving up a pet	Percentage (Sample size = 189)
Financial constraints have made it difficult to care for my cat or dog	44.2
Health concerns specific to COVID-19 (e.g., fear of cat or dog transmitting the virus to yourself or family members)	32.6
Behavioral concerns (e.g., house soiling, barking)	30.9
Safety concerns (e.g., the animal is aggressive to myself or others)	21.5
I feel as though I have not had enough time to properly care for the cat or dog	17.7
Personal reasons (e.g., divorce, my partner does not like the animal)	16.6
Health concerns (e.g., allergies)	16.6
I have increased work hours due to being an essential worker during the COVID-19 pandemic	16.6
I have moved house and could not bring my cat or dog	8.3
Other	7.2

Research Summary | Back to Top

Texas Shelter Intake & Return

External link: 
Hawes SM, Kerrigan JM, Hupe T, Morris KN. Factors Informing the Return of Adopted Dogs and Cats to an Animal Shelter. Animals. 2020; 10(9):1573. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10091573

Reasons for Intake

Reasons	Dogs (n = 1604)	% of Dog Sample	Cats (n = 1292)	% of Cat Sample
Medical		29.6%		29.5%
Medical needs of animal	249	15.5%	349	27.0%
Medical costs	2	0.1%	0	0.0%
Urgent medical	38	2.4%	14	1.1%
Parvovirus	186	11.6%	0	0.0%
Panleukopenia	0	0.0%	18	1.4%
Behavioral		9.2%		5.9%
Aggressive toward animals	27	1.7%	3	0.2%
Aggressive toward humans	37	2.3%	3	0.2%
Destructive tendencies	12	0.8%	5	0.4%
Separation anxiety	7	0.4%	1	0.08%
Behavior/temperament	7	0.4%	5	0.4%
General behavioral support needed	57	3.6%	59	4.6%
Personal		8.6%		8.4%
Cannot afford basic care	22	1.4%	10	0.8%
Unrealistic expectations	61	3.8%	24	1.9%
Moving	30	1.9%	31	2.4%
Unwanted offspring of pet	10	0.6%	0	0.0%
Medical needs of pet owner	6	0.4%	14	1.1%
Allergies	2	0.1%	8	0.6%
Behavior/temperament of resident pet	4	0.2%	18	1.4%
Death of owner/family member	4	0.2%	2	0.2%
Other		52.6%		56.2%
Born in shelter care	105	6.5%	29	2.2%
Stray with shelter’s microchip	14	0.9%	10	0.8%
Stray	14	0.9%	20	1.5%
Breed or species restrictions	3	0.2%	0	0.0%
Wellness	1	0.06%	0	0.0%
Bottle baby	28	1.7%	367	28.4%
Pregnant/nursing	86	5.4%	118	9.1%
Shelter space (Transer in)	592	36.9%	184	14.2%

Related Data From Same Study (Reducing Adoption Returns)

Related Data From Same Study (Post-Adoption Management)

Research Summary | Back to Top

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Deep-Dive

Jump to : Housing | Social Vulnerability

Housing-Related Owner Relinquishment

Jump to : US (2019-2023)

Housing-Related Pet Relinquishment in the U.S. (2019-2023)

External link: 
Applebaum JW, Loney L, Horecka K and Graham TM (2024) Housing-related companion animal relinquishment across 21 animal shelters in the United States from 2019–2023. Front. Vet. Sci. 11:1430388. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2024.1430388

I. Overall Housing-Related Intakes

• A. Intake Subtypes:
  • Unspecified (53.7%)
  • Pet-related restrictions (27.3%)
  • Landlord-related (8.4%)
  • Loss of home (5.4%)
  • Unhoused individuals (5.2%)
• B. Species and Size Distribution:
  • Large dogs (20%)
  • Small dogs (19%)
  • Medium dogs (17%)
  • Small cats (16%)
  • Medium cats (12%)
  • Large cats (7%)
• C. Age Distribution:
  • Mean cat intake age: 1,085 days
  • Mean dog intake age: 1,271 days
  • Median cat intake age: 609 days
  • Median dog intake age: 749 days
• D. Breed Distribution (Dogs):
  • Mixed breed (35%)
  • American Pit Bull Terriers (12%)
  • Chihuahuas (5%)
  • Labrador Retrievers (5%)
  • German Shepherds (4%)
• E. Pit bull-Type Dogs 
  • Pit bull-type dogs (16% of all dogs)
  • Represent 12% of restriction-related intakes
  • Represent 27% of landlord-related intakes
• F. Length of Stay:
  • Median length of stay: 6 days (no significant difference between cats and dogs)
  • Mean length of stay: Cats (17 days), Dogs (20 days)
  • Range of length of stay: 0-766 days 
  • 25% stayed for 2 days or less

II. Outcomes of Housing-Relinquished Animals

• A. Overall Outcomes (All Animals):

	Total	Cats	Dogs
Live Outcomes (95% of cases)
Adoption	76%	82%	72%
Transfer out	12%	10%	13%
Return to owner	3%	2%	4%
Foster placement	3%	2%	4%
Service and wildlife out	1%	<1%	<1%
Non-Live Outcomes (5%)
Euthanasia	4.5%	3%	6%

• C. Outcomes by Breed (Pit Bull-Type Dogs vs. Other Breeds):
  • Adoption: 67% (vs. 73% other breeds)
  • Non-live outcome: 13% (vs. 5% other breeds)
  • Return to owner: 5% (vs. 4% other breeds) 
  • Foster placement: 6% (vs. 3% othe breeds) .
• D. Outcome Odds (Factors Affecting Live Outcomes):

Predictor	Odds Ratio
Intake Subtypes (ref = loss of home)
Unhoused owner	0.87
Landlord issues	1.74
Unspecified	0.78
Length of stay (in days)	1.00
Age quintiles (ref = Q1)
Q2, 8 months-1.44 years	0.32
Q3, 1.44-2.89 years	0.21
Q4, 2.90-5.22 years	0.18
Q5, 5.23-23.02 years	0.18
Pit bull-type dog	0.37

III. Trends Over Time

• A. Intake Subtypes:
  • Increase in loss of home intakes.
  • Decrease in pet restriction and landlord-related intakes.
  • No significant change in unhoused or unspecified intakes.
• B. Overall Live Outcomes:
  • Decrease in live outcomes.
• C. Geographic Trends:
  • No significant change in east/west intake rates.
  • Shift in intake frequencies from south to north.
• D. Species and Size Trends:
  • Increase in cat intakes.
  • Decrease in dog intakes.
  • Decreasing large dog intake rate (faster rate).
  • Decreasing small dog intake rate (slower rate).
  • Slight decrease in medium dog intake rate (not significant).
• E. Breed and Demographic Trends:
  • Decrease in pit bull-type dog intakes.
  • Decrease in average animal weight.
  • Decrease in average animal age.

Research Summary | Back to Top

Social Vulnerability & Intake, Outcome

External link: 
Neal SM, Kremer T. Examining the Relationship Between Social Vulnerability and Animal Shelter Intakes and Outcomes: Patterns and Implications. Animals. 2024; 14(22):3166. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14223166

Intake and Outcome by Social Vulnerability

Social Vulnerability Quintile	Intake per 1000 households	Adoption per 1000 households
1	9	11
2	13	12
3	18	12
4	36	14
5	61	14

Breakdown by Intake Source

Intake from Social Vulnerability Quintile	Breakdown by Intake Source
Social Vulnerability Quintile	Overall	Owner Surrender / Return	Seized / Custody	Stray
1	8.0%	11.9%	4.6%	6.8%
2	8.7%	11.1%	5.9%	8.1%
3	11.9%	14.4%	9.8%	11.1%
4	24.5%	25.5%	27.9%	23.5%
5	46.9%	37.1%	51.8%	50.6%

Adoptions to Social Vulnerability Quintile	Breakdown by Intake Source
Social Vulnerability Quintile	Overall	Owner Surrender / Return	Seized / Custody	Stray
1	19.2%	20.6%	25.3%	17.4%
2	17.6%	18.8%	21.1%	16.4%
3	17.4%	18.3%	18.4%	16.8%
4	20.1%	20.3%	19.8%	20.0%
5	25.6%	22.0%	15.4%	29.3%

Breakdown by Social Vulnerability Index Themes

Intake by Social Vulnerability Quintile	Breakdown by SVI themes
Social Vulnerability Quintile	Overall	Household Characteristics	Housing Type & Transportation	Racial & Ethnic Minority Status	Socioeconomic Status
1	8.0%	12.7%	12.2%	4.2%	7.6%
2	8.7%	10.0%	18.7%	9.7%	7.3%
3	11.9%	15.0%	25.7%	13.3%	13.0%
4	24.5%	19.8%	22.8%	20.8%	21.6%
5	46.9%	42.4%	20.6%	52.0%	50.6%

Adoptions to Social Vulnerability Quintile	Breakdown by SVI themes
Social Vulnerability Quintile	Overall	Household Characteristics	Housing Type & Transportation	Racial & Ethnic Minority Status	Socioeconomic Status
1	19.2%	21.5%	20.1%	12.2%	19.2%
2	17.6%	15.3%	21.2%	22.1%	15.9%
3	17.4%	18.6%	22.5%	20.7%	17.9%
4	20.1%	18.8%	19.8%	16.0%	19.7%
5	25.6%	25.8%	16.4%	28.9%	27.2%

Breakdown by Animal Type

Intake by Social Vulnerability Quintile	Breakdown by Animal Type
Social Vulnerability Quintile	Overall	Cat Adult	Cat Youth	Dog Adult	Dog Youth
1	8.0%	8.9%	7.7%	8.9%	3.9%
2	8.7%	9.2%	8.6%	9.6%	5.1%
3	11.9%	13.%	11.1%	12.8%	8.0%
4	24.5%	28.5%	25.5%	24.2%	21.0%
5	46.9%	42.0%	47.2%	44.5%	61.9%

Adoptions to Social Vulnerability Quintile	Breakdown by Animal Type
Social Vulnerability Quintile	Overall	Cat Adult	Cat Youth	Dog Adult	Dog Youth
1	19.2%	18.2%	19.0%	21.0%	15.4%
2	17.6%	17.7%	17.2%	19.1%	13.6%
3	17.4%	18.6%	15.9%	18.6%	14.8%
4	20.1%	21.6%	19.6%	19.7%	19.7%
5	25.6%	24.0%	28.3%	21.5%	36.6%

Intake Reason and Outcome by Quintile

Intake Reason	Quintile 1	Quintile 2	Quintile 3	Quintile 4	Quintile 5
Preferences / Time	30.1%	25.5%	24.2%	27.1%	22.5%
Permanent Change	7.6%	8.9%	7.8%	6%	7.7%
Medical	5.3%	8.2%	8.6%	12.4%	14%
Housing	15%	15.8%	19.7%	22.8%	25%
Cost	11.7%	11.4%	15.5%	16.3%	17.2%
Behaviour	30.3%	30.2%	24.3%	15.4%	13.4%

Outcome	Quintile 1	Quintile 2	Quintile 3	Quintile 4	Quintile 5
Transferred Out	12.7%	19.2%	17.5%	20.6%	28.3%
Return to Owner	16.4%	14.9%	15.6%	13.1%	10.4%
Euthanasia	10.2%	10.9%	12.5%	13.1%	13.5%
Adopted	60.7%	55%	54.3%	53.3%	47.8%

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