Three Things to Know
Supported self-rehoming enables owners to find new homes for their animals, serving as a crucial solution to prevent pets from entering the stressful shelter environment. In this study, researchers analyzed over four years of data, encompassing nearly 150,000 animal listings, to investigate the likelihood of diversion from shelter, and the factors influencing whether pets are rehomed, retained, or relinquished.
The study found that a significant majority — 87.1% of dogs and 85.7% of cats— were successfully diverted from shelters. Specific characteristics increased the odds of diversion for dogs, including being puppies, small dogs, or purebreds, as well as dogs good with children or other pets. Owner circumstances also played a vital role: dogs with longer rehoming deadlines and those being rehomed due to owner-related reasons (e.g., housing or personal issues) had higher diversion rates compared to those rehomed for behavioral reasons.
Among the dogs that were diverted, medium and large breeds, as well as dogs with special needs or those requiring experienced adopters, were more likely to be kept by their original owners. Conversely, dogs with more photos or those rehomed due to personal, housing, or health issues were more frequently adopted out. Dogs that were originally found or abandoned were also less likely to be retained by their owners.
For Dog Welfare Practitioners
This study offers new insights into the self-rehoming process, highlighting several key points:
- Supported self-rehoming is a valid method for diverting animals from shelter intake.
- The process is generally more effective for dogs with specific physical characteristics (e.g., young age, purebred status, and good behavior).
- To make supported self-rehoming more seamless, shelters could enhance owner guidance, advising on aspects like the number of photos to include and the importance of starting the re-homing process as soon as possible.
With the increasing adoption of self-rehoming, shelters should also anticipate a shift in their intake, which may consist more of animals less appealing to the average adopter, potentially lengthening their average length of stay. Shelters must, therefore, be prepared for the impact this could have on their capacity for care and live release rates, requiring flexibility in adjusting their operational approach.
The Full Picture
Animal shelters face persistent capacity challenges, with owner surrenders making up a significant portion of intake. To address this, shelters increasingly use intake diversion strategies — like supported self-rehoming — to reduce the number of animals entering their facilities. One such platform, Adopt a Pet’s Rehome, facilitates owner-led rehoming and tracks outcomes.
This study, titled “Predictors of successful diversion of cats and dogs away from animal shelter intake: Analysis of data from a self-rehoming website”, aims to evaluate which animal and owner characteristics are associated with successful diversion (i.e. avoiding shelter intake) through the Rehome platform, and to explore factors influencing whether pets are rehomed or ultimately kept by their original owners.
Study Methods
This study analyzed data from 148,826 animal listings (100,342 dogs; 48,484 cats) posted on the Adopt a Pet Rehome website between January 1, 2017, and May 21, 2021. Listings were cleaned to remove test entries, duplicates, bonded pairs, incomplete records, and those without final outcomes (adopted, kept, or relinquished).
Data included animal demographics (e.g. age, sex, breed, spay/neuter status), behavior traits (e.g. house-trained, good with kids/animals), and owner-reported details like rehoming urgency and reason for surrender. For dogs, additional variables like size and breed group (based on AKC categories) were included.
Study Results
The study analyzed 148,826 animal listings — 67.4% dogs and 32.6% cats — posted on the Adopt a Pet Rehome website. Most animals were successfully diverted from shelters: 87.1% of dogs and 85.7% of cats were either adopted or kept by their original owners.
Compared to traditional shelter populations, animals on the platform were generally younger, smaller, and more likely to be purebred — traits often preferred by adopters and linked to higher odds of diversion from shelters.
Supported Self-Rehoming of Dogs
Physical Characteristics
Several traits influenced the odds of diversion from shelters. Puppies, small dogs, and purebreds had higher odds of diversion. These traits align with adopter preferences seen in prior shelter studies and seem even more influential in online settings where visual appearance is central to decision-making. Toy and Sporting breeds, for instance, had higher odds of being rehomed than less desirable breeds like Hounds. Additionally, breed labels may influence adopter perceptions, particularly for breeds like pit bulls, which are frequently mislabeled and misunderstood.
The study also highlighted that pets who were spayed/neutered or microchipped had lower odds of diversion. While adopters typically prefer altered pets, this finding might reflect the fact that younger, more desirable pets are often intact. Unlike shelters, self-rehoming platforms do not require spay/neuter, possibly attracting adopters who want intact animals, though this raises questions about the risk of future unwanted litters.
Reasons for Rehoming
Behavioral characteristics reported by owners also impacted outcomes. Animals labeled as good with children or other pets had higher odds of diversion, while those needing experienced adopters or with special needs were more likely to be relinquished. Dogs with owner-reported behavioral issues were less likely to be rehomed and more likely to be surrendered, reinforcing the need for shelters to support behavioral interventions.
Owner circumstances also mattered — dogs with longer rehoming deadlines and those rehomed for owner-related reasons (e.g., housing or personal issues) had higher odds of diversion than those rehomed for behavioral reasons.
Animals not directly owned by the person posting—such as those found or abandoned—were less likely to be successfully diverted, possibly due to weaker emotional bonds or a lack of perceived responsibility.
Diversion: Rehome or Kept by Owners
Among diverted animals, the study also explored factors predicting whether the pet was kept by the owner or rehomed. For dogs, medium and large breeds were more likely to be kept, as were dogs with special needs or those requiring experienced adopters. In contrast, dogs with more photos, or rehomed due to personal, housing, or health issues, were more likely to be adopted out. Dogs originally found or abandoned were also less likely to be kept.
Supported Self-Rehoming of Cats
For cats (n = 5,545), similar trends emerged. Younger and mixed-breed cats had higher odds of diversion, as did those labeled as good with dogs or children. Cats with more profile photos were more likely to be diverted, while microchipped cats had lower odds of diversion. As with dogs, a longer rehoming timeline increased the likelihood of diversion. The only surrender reason significantly linked to decreased diversion in cats was being abandoned or found.
For cats, older age groups were associated with increased odds of being kept, while purebred cats and those good with children were slightly less likely to be retained. Special needs cats, those needing experienced adopters, and house-trained cats were more likely to be kept. As with dogs, more photos and owner-related rehoming reasons were linked to a lower chance of retention. Overall, the study highlights that both animal traits and owner context significantly influence outcomes in supported self-rehoming programs.
However, behavioral traits seemed less influential for cats, possibly due to differences in how owners describe or perceive cat behavior, or because adopter expectations for cats differ from those for dogs.
Conclusion
While informal rehoming is already common, owners often need support to be successful. The study found that approximately 85% of dogs and cats listed on an online self-rehoming platform were successfully rehomed or retained by their original owners, suggesting that supported self-rehoming can significantly reduce animal shelter intake.
Success is more likely for younger, purebred animals without special needs or behavioral concerns, especially when owners have more time to rehome. Pets with behavioral issues are more often surrendered to shelters, suggesting a need for increased shelter resources to manage these cases. Overall, such platforms can serve as valuable tools to support pet retention and responsible rehoming while reducing pressure on animal shelters.
Miscellaneous
Data From Study:
Shelter Dogs > Optimizing Shelter Operations > Expanding Shelter Capacity
Year of Publication:
2023
External Link:
Ly LH, Protopopova A. Predictors of successful diversion of cats and dogs away from animal shelter intake: Analysis of data from a self-rehoming website. Animal Welfare. 2023;32:e13. https://doi.org/10.1017/awf.2023.8