Animal Shelter Data Analysis Software Technical

Austin Open Data: Outcomes

This post is a supplement to the previous series comparing the open data from Austin Animal Center to that from another city shelter. In this post we will look more thoroughly at descriptive statistics for cat and dog outcomes at the Austin Animal Center (AAC) alone. In particular, we will examine how the outcome profile is evolving, by comparing outcomes in the most recent twelve-month cycle with outcomes in the preceding twelve-month cycle. As well, we will consider the current data in light of the fundamental goal of protecting the lives of shelter animals.

From here on out we will always call the past twelve months (October 2015 through September 2016) the “recent” cycle, and the twelve months before that the “prior” cycle. Also, we will often look at outcomes arranged by species and rough age — that is, kitten, adult cat, puppy, or adult dog, where kittens and puppies are one year old or less — and refer to the resulting category as the “group.”

Outcomes

During the recent cycle, 16,796 cats and dogs flowed out of the Austin Animal Center, broken down as follows by group:

Adult
Dogs
Kittens Puppies Adult
Cats
Count 7,254 4,494 2,721 2,327
Proportion 43 % 27 % 16 % 14 %
Outcome volume by group, Oct 2015 to Sep 2016

Nearly half of all cats and dogs were adopted. Less than 3% were killed by lethal injection.

Outcome rates, Oct 2015 to Sep 2016
atxrecentoutcometypes

Adult dogs and kittens accounted for 70% of the animals flowing through the shelter. Transfer was the most likely outcome for a stray adult cat, whereas adoption was the most likely outcome for a kitten, puppy, adult dog, or owner-surrendered adult cat. Nearly as many adult dogs were redeemed as were adopted. Redemption was much less in all other groups.

Outcome rates per group, Oct 2015 to Sep 2016
atxrecentoutcometypesbyspeciesandage
Cat outcomes per intake type
Cat outcome rates per intake type, Oct 2015 to Sep 2016
atxrecentcatoutcometypesbyintaketype
Dog outcomes per intake type
Dog outcome rates per intake type, Oct 2015 to Sep 2016
atxrecentdogoutcometypesbyintaketype

Impounded dogs are assigned a primary breed label. In the recent cycle, the top four breed labels accounted for nearly half of the dogs in the shelter. The other half comprised a long tail of many breed labels, over 300 in all.

Top ten breed labels, Oct 2015 to Sep 2016

                         Count Proportion
1               Pit Bull  1591       0.16
2     Labrador Retriever  1449       0.15
3    Chihuahua Shorthair  1255       0.13
4        German Shepherd   540       0.05
5  Australian Cattle Dog   343       0.03
6              Dachshund   257       0.03
7                  Boxer   213       0.02
8       Miniature Poodle   185       0.02
9          Border Collie   179       0.02
10             Catahoula   147       0.01

Top breed labels by group
Top breed labels, Oct 2015 to Sep 2016

Adult Dogs
                         Count Proportion
1               Pit Bull  1238       0.17
2    Chihuahua Shorthair   999       0.14
3     Labrador Retriever   872       0.12
4        German Shepherd   389       0.05
5              Dachshund   202       0.03
6  Australian Cattle Dog   199       0.03
7                  Boxer   169       0.02
8       Miniature Poodle   166       0.02
9          Border Collie   124       0.02
10                Beagle   117       0.02

Puppies
                         Count Proportion
1     Labrador Retriever   577       0.21
2               Pit Bull   353       0.13
3    Chihuahua Shorthair   256       0.09
4        German Shepherd   151       0.06
5  Australian Cattle Dog   144       0.05
6              Catahoula    60       0.02
7                Pointer    59       0.02
8   Jack Russell Terrier    56       0.02
9          Border Collie    55       0.02
10             Dachshund    55       0.02

In the recent cycle, the most likely outcome for adult dogs and puppies with the top breed labels was adoption, except for adult dogs labeled “Pit Bull,” which were slightly more likely to be redeemed by their owners than to be adopted.

Outcome rates for adult dogs per top breed label, Oct 2015 to Sep 2016

Adult Dogs
                        Adoption Died Euthanasia Missing Return_to_Owner Transfer
  Australian Cattle Dog     0.51 0.00       0.01    0.00            0.33     0.15
  Chihuahua Shorthair       0.44 0.00       0.02    0.00            0.29     0.25
  German Shepherd           0.46 0.01       0.04    0.00            0.39     0.11
  Labrador Retriever        0.43 0.00       0.02    0.00            0.39     0.15
  Pit Bull                  0.40 0.00       0.04    0.00            0.41     0.15

Puppies
                        Adoption Died Euthanasia Missing Return_to_Owner Transfer
  Australian Cattle Dog     0.69 0.01       0.00    0.00            0.06     0.24
  Chihuahua Shorthair       0.51 0.02       0.01    0.00            0.15     0.31
  German Shepherd           0.54 0.01       0.01    0.00            0.19     0.26
  Labrador Retriever        0.59 0.00       0.00    0.00            0.10     0.31
  Pit Bull                  0.46 0.01       0.02    0.00            0.24     0.26

The Austin Animal Center came under new management in the summer of 2015.[1] Consequently, when we look at the recent cycle compared with the prior cycle, we are also approximately looking at new management compared with old management. Below are cat and dog outcomes compared across the two cycles. We should keep in mind that the recent cycle had lighter intake than the prior cycle, by about 540 cats and 370 dogs.

Outcome volumes and rates in recent and prior cycles

Cats and Dogs
                  Prior_Count Count Delta Prior_Rate  Rate Delta_Rate
1        Adoption        7208  7790   582      0.410 0.464      0.054
2            Died         127   147    20      0.007 0.009      0.002
3      Euthanasia        1026   442  -584      0.058 0.026     -0.032
4         Missing          14    15     1      0.001 0.001      0.000
5 Return to Owner        3355  3387    32      0.191 0.202      0.011
6        Transfer        5837  5017  -820      0.332 0.299     -0.033

Cats
                  Prior_Count Count Delta Prior_Rate  Rate Delta_Rate
1        Adoption        2654  3120   466      0.375 0.457      0.082
2            Died          96   110    14      0.014 0.016      0.002
3      Euthanasia         486   250  -236      0.069 0.037     -0.032
4         Missing           7    13     6      0.001 0.002      0.001
5 Return to Owner         337   304   -33      0.048 0.045     -0.003
6        Transfer        3505  3026  -479      0.495 0.443     -0.052

Dogs
                  Prior_Count Count Delta Prior_Rate  Rate Delta_Rate
1        Adoption        4554  4670   116      0.434 0.468      0.034
2            Died          31    37     6      0.003 0.004      0.001
3      Euthanasia         540   192  -348      0.052 0.019     -0.033
4         Missing           7     2    -5      0.001 0.000     -0.001
5 Return to Owner        3018  3083    65      0.288 0.309      0.021
6        Transfer        2332  1991  -341      0.222 0.200     -0.022

In the recent cycle, cat adoption was up, cat and dog transfer was down, and cat and dog killing was cut in half, the most dramatic change in any outcome type.

Adopted

Number adopted each month
Number adopted each month, 2014 to Sep 2016

Cats and Dogs
     Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
2014 518 437 475 436 502 655 905 815 607 581 519 646
2015 537 484 469 401 625 706 892 721 627 579 654 654
2016 598 538 505 442 601 824 979 711 705            

Cats
     Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
2014 159  97  86 105 148 301 459 329 228 227 191 218
2015 138 103  99  73 176 316 513 329 271 241 321 293
2016 234 143 128  98 179 381 498 310 294            

Dogs
     Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
2014 359 340 389 331 354 354 446 486 379 354 328 428
2015 399 381 370 328 449 390 379 392 356 338 333 361
2016 364 395 377 344 422 443 481 401 411                      

In the recent cycle, 3,120 cats and 4,670 dogs were adopted, for an overall adoption rate of 46.4%. More cats and adult dogs were adopted than in the prior cycle, and fewer puppies. Kittens made up two thirds of the increased cat adoption.

Adoption per group in recent and prior cycles

            Prior_Count Count Delta Prior_Rate  Rate Delta_Rate
1    Kitten        2028  2345   317      0.433 0.522      0.089
2 Adult Cat         626   775   149      0.261 0.333      0.072
3     Puppy        1705  1621   -84      0.559 0.596      0.037
4 Adult Dog        2849  3049   200      0.383 0.420      0.037

Monthly cat adoption volume is manifestly seasonal and driven by cat intake, peaking at around 500 in summer months and dropping to around 100 in winter. Most all of the seasonal effect comes from kittens.

Dog adoption volume averaged 389 dogs per month in the recent cycle.

Monthly adoption volume and trend, 2014 to Sep 2016
atxmonthlycatdogadoption
Adoption rate by month
Monthly adoption rate and trend, 2014 to Sep 2016
atxmonthlycatdogadoptionrate
Kitten and adult cat adoption volume by month
Monthly adoption volume and trend, 2014 to Sep 2016
atxmonthlycatkittenadoption
Cat summaries
Adopted cats, Oct 2015 to Sep 2016

Adult Cats
             intake_type  intake_condition intake_spay_neuter
 Euthanasia Request:  1   Normal :707      Altered:510       
 Owner Surrender   :411   Injured: 33      Intact :265       
 Public Assist     : 24   Sick   : 20                        
 Stray             :339   Nursing:  9                        
                          Aged   :  6                        
                          Feral  :  0                        
                          (Other):  0                        
 outcome_spay_neuter outcome_subtype    gender         name    
 Altered:772         Foster :114     Female:460   Bella  :  7  
 Intact :  3         Offsite:  1     Male  :315   Daisy  :  6  
                     NA's   :660                  Luna   :  6  
                                                  Marley :  6  
                                                  Stella :  5  
                                                  (Other):712  
                                                  NA's   : 33  
                 breed_1    intake_age_class   days_held     
 Domestic Shorthair  :561   Neonatal:  0     Min.   :  0.00  
 Domestic Medium Hair: 72   Infant  :  0     1st Qu.:  9.00  
 Domestic Longhair   : 66   Adult   :775     Median : 23.00  
 Siamese             : 41                    Mean   : 46.63  
 Maine Coon          :  5                    3rd Qu.: 52.50  
 Snowshoe            :  5                    Max.   :509.00  
 (Other)             : 25                                    
                      
Kittens
             intake_type   intake_condition intake_spay_neuter
 Euthanasia Request:   1   Normal :2157     Altered: 116      
 Owner Surrender   : 493   Nursing:  92     Intact :2229      
 Public Assist     :  13   Injured:  56                       
 Stray             :1838   Sick   :  37                       
                           Feral  :   3                       
                           Aged   :   0                       
                           (Other):   0                       
 outcome_spay_neuter outcome_subtype    gender          name     
 Altered:2158        Foster : 790    Female:1212   Luna   :  11  
 Intact : 187        Offsite:   8    Male  :1133   Charlie:  10  
                     NA's   :1547                  Leo    :   9  
                                                   Bella  :   7  
                                                   Daisy  :   7  
                                                   (Other):1848  
                                                   NA's   : 453  
                 breed_1     intake_age_class   days_held     
 Domestic Shorthair  :1971   Neonatal:1553    Min.   :  0.00  
 Domestic Medium Hair: 198   Infant  : 792    1st Qu.:  8.00  
 Domestic Longhair   :  80   Adult   :   0    Median : 34.00  
 Siamese             :  74                    Mean   : 41.22  
 Snowshoe            :   9                    3rd Qu.: 59.00  
 Maine Coon          :   4                    Max.   :563.00  
 (Other)             :   9                                    
Dog summaries
Adopted dogs, Oct 2015 to Sep 2016

Adult Dogs
             intake_type   intake_condition intake_spay_neuter
 Euthanasia Request:   1   Normal :2885     Altered:1264      
 Owner Surrender   : 783   Injured: 102     Intact :1785      
 Public Assist     :  59   Sick   :  28                       
 Stray             :2206   Aged   :  20                       
                           Nursing:   7                       
                           Other  :   6                       
                           (Other):   1                       
 outcome_spay_neuter outcome_subtype    gender          name     
 Altered:2958        Foster : 325    Female:1397   Daisy  :  23  
 Intact :  91        Offsite:   9    Male  :1652   Luna   :  21  
                     NA's   :2715                  Max    :  21  
                                                   Lucy   :  20  
                                                   Bella  :  19  
                                                   (Other):2702  
                                                   NA's   : 243  
                  breed_1     intake_age_class   days_held     
 Pit Bull             : 492   Neonatal:   0    Min.   :  0.00  
 Chihuahua Shorthair  : 439   Infant  :   0    1st Qu.:  5.00  
 Labrador Retriever   : 379   Adult   :3049    Median :  9.00  
 German Shepherd      : 179                    Mean   : 31.14  
 Australian Cattle Dog: 102                    3rd Qu.: 27.00  
 Dachshund            :  98                    Max.   :637.00  
 (Other)              :1360                                    
                                
Puppies
             intake_type   intake_condition intake_spay_neuter
 Euthanasia Request:   0   Normal :1519     Altered: 192      
 Owner Surrender   : 277   Nursing:  51     Intact :1429      
 Public Assist     :  19   Sick   :  26                       
 Stray             :1325   Injured:  24                       
                           Other  :   1                       
                           Aged   :   0                       
                           (Other):   0                       
 outcome_spay_neuter outcome_subtype    gender         name     
 Altered:1564        Foster : 263    Female:815   Daisy  :  10  
 Intact :  57        Offsite:   4    Male  :806   Luna   :  10  
                     NA's   :1354                 Charlie:   9  
                                                  Max    :   9  
                                                  King   :   7  
                                                  (Other):1087  
                                                  NA's   : 489  
                  breed_1    intake_age_class   days_held     
 Labrador Retriever   :338   Neonatal: 488    Min.   :  0.00  
 Pit Bull             :162   Infant  :1133    1st Qu.:  4.00  
 Chihuahua Shorthair  :129   Adult   :   0    Median :  5.00  
 Australian Cattle Dog:100                    Mean   : 16.03  
 German Shepherd      : 82                    3rd Qu.: 12.00  
 Dachshund            : 45                    Max.   :807.00  
 (Other)              :765                                    

The recent cycle saw nearly 200 more dogs labeled “Pit Bull” adopted than in the prior cycle, a 44% increase, notwithstanding lighter intake. The adoption rate of these dogs jumped from 29% to 41%.

Adoption per top breed label in recent and prior cycles

                        Prior_Count Count Delta Prior_Rate  Rate Delta_Rate
1    Labrador Retriever         584   717   133      0.465 0.495      0.030
2              Pit Bull         455   654   199      0.294 0.411      0.117
3   Chihuahua Shorthair         627   568   -59      0.460 0.453     -0.007
4       German Shepherd         264   261    -3      0.437 0.483      0.046
5 Australian Cattle Dog         170   202    32      0.530 0.589      0.059

The stray-hold period in Austin is three business days.[2] Consequently, adoption on the day of intake and the three following days is mostly limited to owner-relinquished animals. Adoption of strays begins on day four, which is clearly observable in the frequency histograms of days until adoption.

Days until adopted per group, Oct 2015 to Sep 2016
atxageclassdaysheld_adoption

The frequency distribution has a long tail that comprises adult cats, adult dogs, and those kittens that were originally taken in unweaned but after some time and care became ready for a new home.

A box plot[3] is another way we can visualize the frequency distribution of the time until adoption. A box plot shows the quartiles of the distribution (the top of the box is 75%, the bottom is 25%, and the dark separator line is the median). In addition, our box plots are overlaid with the shape of the density curve, which, in this case, shows more precisely how time-until-adoption is distributed.

Days until adopted per group, Oct 2015 to Sep 2016
atxboxageclassdaysheld_adoption

In the recent cycle, the median time until adoption for adult dogs, puppies, and weaned kittens was about one week. For adult cats the median time was about three weeks, and for neonatal kittens, about seven weeks.

Adult dogs labeled “Pit Bull” took longer to reach adoption. The median time was one month, whereas the median for other top breed labels was one or two weeks. The shape of the distribution was also much flatter, such that it took over two months for three quarters to be adopted, appreciably longer than the other breed labels (e.g., three quarters of all adopted adult dogs labeled “Chihuahua” had departed the shelter within eleven days).

Days until adopted for adult dogs per top breed label, Oct 2015 to Sep 2016
atxtopbreedsboxesdaysheld_adoption
Adult dogs time until adoption per top breed label
Adult dog time until adoption per top breed label, Oct 2015 to Sep 2016

                         Count Median_Days Qu3_Days IQR_Days
1               Pit Bull   492        30.0    69.00    57.00
2    Chihuahua Shorthair   439         6.0    10.00     6.00
3     Labrador Retriever   379        14.0    38.50    31.50
4        German Shepherd   179         9.0    21.50    15.50
5  Australian Cattle Dog   102        14.5    33.75    26.75
6              Dachshund    98         6.0    10.75     6.75
7                  Boxer    70        13.5    42.00    35.00
8       Miniature Poodle    70         5.0     6.00     2.00
9                 Beagle    51         6.0     9.00     4.50
10         Staffordshire    46        29.5    65.75    56.50

Dogs labeled “Pit Bull” constituted 15% of all adopted dogs, yet made up one third of the dogs that took one month or longer to reach adoption, a characteristic that can be seen in the following plot for the top three breed labels:

Days until adoption for adult dog top three breed labels, Oct 2015 to Sep 2016
atxtopbreedsdaysheld_adoption

The cats and dogs in the long tail of the distribution deserve further analysis, since understanding what features are predictive of a long wait for a new home might lead to new strategies for accelerating their adoptions.

Additionally, research on choice has suggested that too many options can lead to customer demotivation.[4] In high-inventory retail situations, sales associates are responsible for helping customers avoid choice overload. Environments offering fewer choices have been shown to engender higher customer drive and higher subsequent satisfaction with the selection made.[5] When it comes to adoption, dogs that are regularly passed over in the choice-rich environment of the shelter, where hundreds of dogs are on display, may very well benefit from off-site, micro-adoption events where a limited number dogs are present.

Redeemed

Number redeemed each month
Number redeemed each month, 2014 to Sep 2016

Cats and Dogs
     Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
2014 286 244 300 306 300 254 263 259 279 260 264 286
2015 270 248 279 302 376 288 265 262 255 286 372 293
2016 274 257 308 299 336 245 226 229 262            

Cats
     Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
2014  38  25  35  28  21  29  20  31  26  29  22  34
2015  27  19  25  32  25  26  28  38  32  29  32  29
2016  19  18  28  30  24  31  19  20  25            

Dogs
     Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
2014 248 219 265 278 279 225 243 228 253 231 242 252
2015 243 229 254 270 351 262 237 224 223 257 340 264
2016 255 239 280 269 312 214 207 209 237        

In the recent cycle, 304 cats and 3,083 dogs were redeemed by their owners, for an overall redemption rate of 20.2%, which was marginally higher than the prior cycle’s rate. On average, 25 cats and 257 dogs were redeemed each month.

Animal shelters typically have a considerably higher redemption rate for dogs than for cats, and Austin is no exception. Over one third of adult dogs were redeemed, versus a little better than one tenth of adult cats.

Redemption per group in recent and prior cycles

            Prior_Count Count Delta Prior_Rate  Rate Delta_Rate
1    Kitten          62    48   -14      0.013 0.011     -0.002
2 Adult Cat         275   256   -19      0.114 0.110     -0.004
3     Puppy         328   371    43      0.108 0.136      0.028
4 Adult Dog        2690  2712    22      0.362 0.374      0.012

Dog redemption has a moderate seasonal effect, with more dogs redeemed in early spring.

Monthly redemption volume and trend, 2014 to Sep 2016
atxmonthlycatdogredemption
Redemption rate by month
Monthly redemption rate and trend, 2014 to Sep 2016
atxmonthlycatdogredemptionrate
Cat summaries
Redeemed cats, Oct 2015 to Sep 2016

Adult Cats
             intake_type  intake_condition intake_spay_neuter
 Euthanasia Request:  0   Normal :213      Altered:227       
 Owner Surrender   : 42   Injured: 23      Intact : 24       
 Public Assist     : 48   Sick   : 18      NA's   :  5       
 Stray             :166   Aged   :  1                        
                          Feral  :  1                        
                          Nursing:  0                        
                          (Other):  0                        
 outcome_spay_neuter outcome_subtype    gender              name    
 Altered:240         NA's:256        Female:118   Kitty       :  3  
 Intact : 11                         Male  :133   Cimba       :  2  
 NA's   :  5                         NA's  :  5   Duke Ellingt:  2  
                                                  Honey       :  2  
                                                  Lilly       :  2  
                                                  (Other)     :225  
                                                  NA's        : 20  
                 breed_1    intake_age_class   days_held     
 Domestic Shorthair  :196   Neonatal:  0     Min.   : 0.000  
 Domestic Longhair   : 19   Infant  :  0     1st Qu.: 1.000  
 Siamese             : 15   Adult   :256     Median : 2.000  
 Domestic Medium Hair: 11                    Mean   : 3.992  
 Maine Coon          :  6                    3rd Qu.: 6.000  
 Persian             :  2                    Max.   :42.000  
 (Other)             :  7                                    
                              
Kittens
             intake_type intake_condition intake_spay_neuter
 Euthanasia Request: 0   Normal :46       Altered:26        
 Owner Surrender   : 9   Injured: 2       Intact :22        
 Public Assist     : 9   Aged   : 0                         
 Stray             :30   Feral  : 0                         
                         Nursing: 0                         
                         Other  : 0                         
                         (Other): 0                         
 outcome_spay_neuter outcome_subtype    gender        name   
 Altered:37          NA's:48         Female:19   Sam    : 2  
 Intact :11                          Male  :29   Bill   : 1  
                                                 Biloxi : 1  
                                                 Blue   : 1  
                                                 Chillon: 1  
                                                 (Other):33  
                                                 NA's   : 9  
                 breed_1   intake_age_class   days_held     
 Domestic Shorthair  :41   Neonatal: 5      Min.   : 0.000  
 Siamese             : 4   Infant  :43      1st Qu.: 1.000  
 Devon Rex           : 1   Adult   : 0      Median : 3.000  
 Domestic Longhair   : 1                    Mean   : 4.979  
 Domestic Medium Hair: 1                    3rd Qu.: 8.000  
 Abyssinian          : 0                    Max.   :23.000  
 (Other)             : 0                                                      
Dog summaries
Redeemed dogs, Oct 2015 to Sep 2016

Adult Dogs
             intake_type   intake_condition intake_spay_neuter
 Euthanasia Request:   1   Normal  :2574    Altered:1777      
 Owner Surrender   : 127   Injured :  87    Intact : 932      
 Public Assist     : 582   Aged    :  31    NA's   :   3      
 Stray             :2002   Sick    :  13                      
                           Nursing :   3                      
                           Pregnant:   3                      
                           (Other) :   1                      
 outcome_spay_neuter outcome_subtype    gender          name     
 Altered:2186        NA's:2712       Female:1119   Bella  :  30  
 Intact : 523                        Male  :1590   Rocky  :  28  
 NA's   :   3                        NA's  :   3   Max    :  23  
                                                   Zeus   :  20  
                                                   Coco   :  18  
                                                   (Other):2545  
                                                   NA's   :  48  
                breed_1     intake_age_class   days_held      
 Pit Bull           : 506   Neonatal:   0    Min.   :  0.000  
 Labrador Retriever : 338   Infant  :   0    1st Qu.:  0.000  
 Chihuahua Shorthair: 293   Adult   :2712    Median :  2.000  
 German Shepherd    : 152                    Mean   :  3.539  
 Miniature Poodle   :  69                    3rd Qu.:  5.000  
 Boxer              :  68                    Max.   :205.000  
 (Other)            :1286                    
                             
Puppies
             intake_type  intake_condition intake_spay_neuter
 Euthanasia Request:  0   Normal :354      Altered: 86       
 Owner Surrender   : 19   Nursing:  8      Intact :285       
 Public Assist     : 76   Injured:  5                        
 Stray             :276   Sick   :  4                        
                          Aged   :  0                        
                          Feral  :  0                        
                          (Other):  0                        
 outcome_spay_neuter outcome_subtype    gender         name    
 Altered:217         NA's:371        Female:141   Rocky  :  8  
 Intact :154                         Male  :230   King   :  7  
                                                  Blue   :  5  
                                                  Junior :  5  
                                                  Morocco:  5  
                                                  (Other):309  
                                                  NA's   : 32  
                  breed_1    intake_age_class   days_held    
 Pit Bull             : 86   Neonatal: 40     Min.   : 0.00  
 Labrador Retriever   : 55   Infant  :331     1st Qu.: 1.00  
 Chihuahua Shorthair  : 39   Adult   :  0     Median : 2.00  
 German Shepherd      : 28                    Mean   : 3.14  
 Rottweiler           : 10                    3rd Qu.: 4.00  
 Australian Cattle Dog:  9                    Max.   :15.00  
 (Other)              :144                                                              

Redemption is most likely to happen soon after a dog or cat arrives at the shelter. In the recent cycle, half of all redemption of cats and dogs occurred in the first two days, and three quarters in the first week. After two weeks there was comparatively little redemption activity.

Days until redeemed per group, Oct 2015 to Sep 2016
atxageclassdaysheldbox_redemption

Across the top breed labels for adult dogs there was little difference in the median time to redemption. However, for adult dogs taken in as strays, those labeled “Chihuahua” had a relatively low rate (29%), while those labeled “Pit Bull” had a relatively high rate (41%). Since, as we have already seen, dogs labeled “Chihuahua” were fast to be adopted while dogs labeled “Pit Bull” were slow, there is a hint in the data that sometimes redemption is foreclosed by adoption (or transfer). Therefore, looking further into the features of the “late redeemers,” those dogs whose owners are looking for them but that are reunited after some time has passed, might point to strategies for accelerating redemption of all dogs.

Days until redeemed for adult dogs per top breed label, Oct 2015 to Sep 2016
atxtopbreedsboxesdaysheld_redemption
Adult dogs time until redemption per top breed label
Adult dog time until redemption per top breed label, Oct 2015 to Sep 2016

                         Count Median_Days Qu3_Days IQR_Days
1               Pit Bull   506           2     8.00     7.00
2     Labrador Retriever   338           1     4.00     4.00
3    Chihuahua Shorthair   293           2     5.00     4.00
4        German Shepherd   152           2     5.00     4.00
5       Miniature Poodle    69           2     4.00     3.00
6                  Boxer    68           2     5.25     4.25
7  Australian Cattle Dog    66           2     4.75     3.75
8              Dachshund    63           2     5.50     4.50
9          Border Collie    58           1     4.00     3.00
10        Siberian Husky    45           1     1.00     1.00

The distribution of time until redemption for dogs was bimodal, with one large peak at day zero and a second smaller peak at about one week out. The first peak was dominated by stray dogs, while the second peak was dominated by dogs taken in as public assistance.

Days until redeemed per group, Oct 2015 to Sep 2016
atxageclassdaysheld_redemption

As the histogram suggests, the median time to redemption for public assistance dogs was eight days.

Days until redeemed per intake type, Oct 2015 to Sep 2016
atxintaketypedaysheld_redemption

Transferred

Transfers fall into two categories. Most transfers are cats and dogs going to partner organizations. In the recent cycle, 84% of transfers were this kind. The rest are transfers of cats headed for release through the Stray Cat Return Program (SCRP). We will look at each category of transfer separately in the next sections.

Adult
Cats
Kittens Puppies Adult
Dogs
To Partner 24 % 37 % 25 % 18 %
To SCRP 24 % 5 % 0 % 0 %
Total 48 % 42 % 25 % 18 %
Proportion transferred of each group, Oct 2015 to Sep 2016

As summarized above, about half of all adult cats were transferred — one quarter to partner organizations and one quarter to SCRP — making them the most transferred group. The least transferred group was adult dogs, of which 18% were transferred to partner organizations.

Transferred to Partner

Number transferred (partner) each month
Number transferred (partner) each month, 2014 to Sep 2016

Cats and Dogs
     Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
2014 266 224 303 435 540 544 588 445 499 415 385 319
2015 208 198 206 434 568 646 443 455 509 433 351 250
2016 277 193 256 425 490 363 286 405 488            

Cats
     Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
2014  62  58 101 235 314 321 387 281 291 210 155  85
2015  59  38  77 235 347 428 245 273 302 259 158 102
2016  59  50  85 279 278 206 143 272 335            

Dogs
     Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
2014 204 166 202 200 226 223 201 164 208 205 230 234
2015 149 160 129 199 221 218 198 182 207 174 193 148
2016 218 143 171 146 212 157 143 133 153    

Austin Animal Center’s primary transfer partner is the local non-profit Austin Pets Alive! In 2015, Austin Pets Alive! reported receiving 3,265 cats and dogs from Austin Animal Center,[6] which was 70% of the cats and dogs that AAC transferred to partner organizations, and 46% of the cats and dogs that Austin Pets! Alive took in.[7] On their web site, Austin Pets Alive! relates that their participation as a partner accounted for 18 points of Austin Animal Center’s 2015 live-release rate.

In the recent cycle, 2,226 cats and 1,991 dogs were transferred to partner organizations, for an overall transfer rate of 25.1%. There were fewer transfers to partner organizations than in the prior cycle, particularly for puppies and kittens.

Transfer (partner) per group in recent and prior cycles

            Prior_Count Count Delta Prior_Rate  Rate Delta_Rate
1    Kitten        1949  1661  -288      0.416 0.370     -0.046
2 Adult Cat         505   565    60      0.210 0.243      0.033
3     Puppy         932   683  -249      0.306 0.251     -0.055
4 Adult Dog        1400  1308   -92      0.188 0.180     -0.008

Transfer (partner) per top breed label in recent and prior cycles

                        Prior_Count Count Delta Prior_Rate  Rate Delta_Rate
1   Chihuahua Shorthair         336   324   -12      0.247 0.259      0.012
2    Labrador Retriever         264   315    51      0.210 0.217      0.007
3              Pit Bull         343   283   -60      0.222 0.178     -0.044
4       German Shepherd         116    80   -36      0.192 0.148     -0.044
5 Australian Cattle Dog          70    63    -7      0.218 0.184     -0.034

Monthly cat transfer-to-partner volume, like adoption volume, is plainly seasonal and driven by kitten intake. Transfer volume can reach 400 cats in summer months, and fall as low as 40 in winter.

Dog transfer-to-partner volume averaged 166 dogs per month in the recent cycle.

Monthly transfer (partner) volume and trend, 2014 to Sep 2016
atxmonthlycatdogtransferpartner
Transfer (partner) rate by month
Monthly transfer (partner) rate and trend, 2014 to Sep 2016
atxmonthlycatdogtransferpartnerrate
Kitten and adult cat transfer (partner) volume by month
Monthly kitten and adult cat transfer (partner) volume and trend, 2014 to Sep 2016
atxmonthlykittencattransferpartner
Cat summaries
Transferred (partner) cats, Oct 2015 to Sep 2016

Adult Cats
             intake_type  intake_condition intake_spay_neuter
 Euthanasia Request:  2   Normal :427      Altered:273       
 Owner Surrender   :227   Sick   : 67      Intact :290       
 Public Assist     : 43   Injured: 58      NA's   :  2       
 Stray             :293   Nursing:  7                        
                          Feral  :  2                        
                          Other  :  2                        
                          (Other):  2                        
 outcome_spay_neuter outcome_subtype    gender          name    
 Altered:424         Partner:565     Female:310   Lily    :  4  
 Intact :139                         Male  :253   Calypso :  3  
 NA's   :  2                         NA's  :  2   Eleanor :  3  
                                                  Jackson :  3  
                                                  Midnight:  3  
                                                  (Other) :435  
                                                  NA's    :114  
                 breed_1    intake_age_class   days_held     
 Domestic Shorthair  :449   Neonatal:  0     Min.   :  0.00  
 Domestic Medium Hair: 50   Infant  :  0     1st Qu.:  5.00  
 Domestic Longhair   : 33   Adult   :565     Median : 10.00  
 Siamese             : 18                    Mean   : 17.97  
 Snowshoe            :  4                    3rd Qu.: 25.00  
 Manx                :  2                    Max.   :151.00  
 (Other)             :  9                                    
                              
Kittens
             intake_type   intake_condition intake_spay_neuter
 Euthanasia Request:   0   Normal :1317     Altered:  44      
 Owner Surrender   : 187   Nursing: 210     Intact :1073      
 Public Assist     :  14   Sick   :  75     NA's   : 544      
 Stray             :1460   Injured:  58                       
                           Other  :   1                       
                           Aged   :   0                       
                           (Other):   0                       
 outcome_spay_neuter outcome_subtype    gender         name     
 Altered:275         Partner:1661    Female:555   Max    :   4  
 Intact :842                         Male  :562   Sam    :   3  
 NA's   :544                         NA's  :544   Tiger  :   3  
                                                  Bear   :   2  
                                                  Bernie :   2  
                                                  (Other): 514  
                                                  NA's   :1133  
                 breed_1     intake_age_class   days_held     
 Domestic Shorthair  :1450   Neonatal:1404    Min.   :  0.00  
 Domestic Medium Hair: 130   Infant  : 257    1st Qu.:  0.00  
 Siamese             :  45   Adult   :   0    Median :  1.00  
 Domestic Longhair   :  23                    Mean   :  7.14  
 Snowshoe            :   7                    3rd Qu.:  7.00  
 Manx                :   3                    Max.   :647.00  
 (Other)             :   3                                                              
Dog summaries
Transferred (partner) dogs, Oct 2015 to Sep 2016

Adult Dogs
             intake_type  intake_condition intake_spay_neuter
 Euthanasia Request:  4   Normal  :1156    Altered:541       
 Owner Surrender   :411   Injured :  96    Intact :766       
 Public Assist     : 61   Sick    :  36    NA's   :  1       
 Stray             :832   Aged    :  12                      
                          Pregnant:   5                      
                          Nursing :   2                      
                          (Other) :   1                      
 outcome_spay_neuter outcome_subtype    gender          name     
 Altered:886         Partner:1308    Female:616   Max     :  10  
 Intact :421                         Male  :691   Bella   :   7  
 NA's   :  1                         NA's  :  1   Lucy    :   6  
                                                  Princess:   6  
                                                  Rocky   :   6  
                                                  (Other) :1116  
                                                  NA's    : 157  
                breed_1    intake_age_class   days_held     
 Chihuahua Shorthair:245   Neonatal:   0    Min.   :  0.00  
 Pit Bull           :190   Infant  :   0    1st Qu.:  4.00  
 Labrador Retriever :135   Adult   :1308    Median :  7.00  
 German Shepherd    : 41                    Mean   : 19.93  
 Dachshund          : 36                    3rd Qu.: 18.00  
 Shih Tzu           : 33                    Max.   :311.00  
 (Other)            :628                                    
                             
Puppies
             intake_type  intake_condition intake_spay_neuter
 Euthanasia Request:  5   Normal  :572     Altered: 60       
 Owner Surrender   :173   Nursing : 40     Intact :576       
 Public Assist     : 14   Sick    : 36     NA's   : 47       
 Stray             :491   Injured : 22                       
                          Other   :  7                       
                          Pregnant:  6                       
                          (Other) :  0                       
 outcome_spay_neuter outcome_subtype    gender         name    
 Altered:206         Partner:683     Female:293   Daisy  :  4  
 Intact :430                         Male  :343   Max    :  3  
 NA's   : 47                         NA's  : 47   Oliver :  3  
                                                  Rooney :  3  
                                                  Bella  :  2  
                                                  (Other):320  
                                                  NA's   :348  
                  breed_1    intake_age_class   days_held      
 Labrador Retriever   :180   Neonatal:282     Min.   :  0.000  
 Pit Bull             : 93   Infant  :401     1st Qu.:  2.000  
 Chihuahua Shorthair  : 80   Adult   :  0     Median :  4.000  
 German Shepherd      : 39                    Mean   :  7.337  
 Australian Cattle Dog: 34                    3rd Qu.:  8.000  
 Jack Russell Terrier : 16                    Max.   :143.000  
 (Other)              :241                                                                                  

Neonatal kittens constituted 85% of all kittens transferred to partner organizations in the recent cycle. Neonatal transfers happen quickly. For neonatal kittens that were transferred to partners, over half left the shelter on the day of intake (versus about one week for weaned kittens), and three quarters left by day four.

Days until transferred (partner) per group, Oct 2015 to Sep 2016
atxageclassdaysheld_transferpartner

Adult dogs and cats were transferred to partner organizations less rapidly than kittens and puppies. Still, the median time until transfer for an adult dog or cat was well under two weeks, and there was relatively little transfer activity after one month.

Days until transfer (partner) by group, Oct 2015 to Sep 2016
atxageclassdaysheldbox_transferpartner

If not redeemed by their owners, dogs labeled “Pit Bull” lingered in the shelter before being transferred to partner organizations or adopted. It took over three weeks for half the transferred dogs to exit the shelter, and two months for three-quarters to exit, versus ten days and three weeks, respectively, for other top breed labels.

Days until transfer (partner) for adult dogs per top breed label, Oct 2015 to Sep 2016
atxtopbreedsboxesdaysheld_transferpartner
Adult dogs time until transferred (partner) per top breed label
Adult dog time until transfer (partner) per top breed label, Oct 2015 to Sep 2016

                         Count Median_Days Qu3_Days IQR_Days
1    Chihuahua Shorthair   245           6    11.00     7.00
2               Pit Bull   190          26    58.75    46.75
3     Labrador Retriever   135          10    20.00    15.00
4        German Shepherd    41          10    19.00    15.00
5              Dachshund    36           5     8.00     4.00
6               Shih Tzu    33           4     4.00     2.00
7     Chihuahua Longhair    31           4     6.00     2.00
8  Australian Cattle Dog    29          17    33.00    28.00
9                  Boxer    28          13    28.50    20.75
10           Rat Terrier    26           5     8.75     4.75

Days until transfer (partner) for adult dogs top three breed labels, Oct 2015 to Sep 2016
atxtopbreedsdaysheld_transferpartner

Transferred to SCRP

Number of cats transferred (SCRP) each month
Number transferred (SCRP) each month, 2014 to Sep 2016

Cats
     Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
2014  84  62  85  46  96  93 112 117  96  91 103  51
2015  88  78  72  60  75 101 121 121  89 115  76  55
2016  61  54  46  55  79  55  78  64  59            

Cats entering the Stray Cat Return Program are transferred to the Austin Humane Society to be sterilized and then released back to the location where they were originally captured. The SCRP is not a feral cat trap-neuter-return program, as temperament and behavior are not factors in qualifying cats. Many tame pet cats enter the program. Cats qualify based on health and age and the absence of discrete disqualifying factors, like being declawed or having a known history of life as an indoor cat.

Likewise, the SCRP is not exactly a community cat program, as released stray cats are expected to soon reunite with their actual owners, “usually going back to their owner’s front porch.”[8] While this assertion may in fact be true, we should note that there is no research on the experience of cats in this particular program, and therefore, at this point, any belief about precisely what happens is based on faith more than on knowledge.

In the recent cycle, about 800 cats were transferred to the SCRP, which was 251 fewer cats than in the prior cycle, for an overall transfer rate of 4.8%. Adult cats made up 70% of the transfers. Only five percent of kittens left the shelter through the SCRP program, versus about one quarter of adult cats, as mentioned previously. On average, 66 cats were transferred per month.

Transfer (SCRP) per group in recent and prior cycles

            Prior_Count Count Delta Prior_Rate  Rate Delta_Rate
1    Kitten         358   239  -119      0.076 0.053     -0.023
2 Adult Cat         692   560  -132      0.288 0.240     -0.048

Monthly cat transfer (SCRP) volume and trend, 2014 to Sep 2016
atxmonthlycattransferscrp
Transfer (SCRP) rate by month
Monthly cat transfer (SCRP) rate and trend, 2014 to Sep 2016
atxmonthlycattransferscrprate
Cat summaries
Transferred (SCRP) cats, Oct 2015 to Sep 2016

Adult Cats
             intake_type  intake_condition intake_spay_neuter
 Euthanasia Request:  0   Normal  :535     Altered:107       
 Owner Surrender   :  0   Injured : 14     Intact :413       
 Public Assist     :  1   Feral   :  5     NA's   : 40       
 Stray             :559   Sick    :  3                       
                          Nursing :  2                       
                          Pregnant:  1                       
                          (Other) :  0                       
 outcome_spay_neuter outcome_subtype    gender             name    
 Altered:322         SCRP:560        Female:271   Aria       :  2  
 Intact :198                         Male  :249   Bruiser    :  1  
 NA's   : 40                         NA's  : 40   Buddy      :  1  
                                                  Calvert    :  1  
                                                  Charlemagne:  1  
                                                  (Other)    : 30  
                                                  NA's       :524  
                 breed_1    intake_age_class   days_held     
 Domestic Shorthair  :469   Neonatal:  0     Min.   : 0.000  
 Domestic Medium Hair: 48   Infant  :  0     1st Qu.: 1.000  
 Siamese             : 23   Adult   :560     Median : 4.000  
 Domestic Longhair   : 20                    Mean   : 3.825  
 Abyssinian          :  0                    3rd Qu.: 5.000  
 Affenpinscher       :  0                    Max.   :20.000  
 (Other)             :  0                             
                            
Kittens
             intake_type  intake_condition intake_spay_neuter
 Euthanasia Request:  0   Normal :228      Altered: 12       
 Owner Surrender   :  0   Feral  :  8      Intact :209       
 Public Assist     :  3   Injured:  1      NA's   : 18       
 Stray             :236   Other  :  1                        
                          Sick   :  1                        
                          Aged   :  0                        
                          (Other):  0                        
 outcome_spay_neuter outcome_subtype    gender          name    
 Altered: 87         SCRP:239        Female:111   Amador  :  1  
 Intact :134                         Male  :110   Areganot:  1  
 NA's   : 18                         NA's  : 18   Axall   :  1  
                                                  Bite Cat:  1  
                                                  Robin   :  1  
                                                  (Other) :  0  
                                                  NA's    :234  
                 breed_1    intake_age_class   days_held     
 Domestic Shorthair  :217   Neonatal:  0     Min.   : 0.000  
 Domestic Medium Hair: 14   Infant  :239     1st Qu.: 1.000  
 Domestic Longhair   :  4   Adult   :  0     Median : 1.000  
 Siamese             :  4                    Mean   : 2.849  
 Abyssinian          :  0                    3rd Qu.: 4.000  
 Affenpinscher       :  0                    Max.   :16.000  
 (Other)             :  0        

Stray cats and dogs are entitled by law to a holding period, so that their owners may find them and redeem them. Stray cats that qualify for the SCRP are either housed at AAC and transferred once the stray-hold period has elapsed, or transferred to the Austin Humane Society on the day after intake and housed there during the stray-hold period.

Days until transferred (SCRP) per group, Oct 2015 to Sep 2016
atxageclassdaysheld_transferscrp

Ninety percent of SCRP transfers were completed within the first week and nearly all were completed within two weeks.

Days until transferred (SCRP) per group, Oct 2015 to Sep 2016
atxageclassdaysheldbox_transferscrp

Interlude 1: The Goal

The next and final outcome type we will look at is death by lethal injection. Killing of this sort can be classified as either euthanasia, undertaken as a last resort and solely to serve the interest of an irremediably suffering animal, or non-euthanasia, undertaken to serve a wider spectrum of interests.

Clearly the only circumstance in which death through euthanasia can serve the interest of the animal itself is when the animal’s experience of life has degraded to such a desperate point that the essence of what we all know makes life precious and desirable has vanished, and there is no hope for recovery. The principal author of California’s Hayden Act, which regulates the state’s animal shelters, has described an animal qualified for euthanasia as one “actively in the throes of intense suffering from a medical problem so severe that their suffering cannot be alleviated.”[9] Similarly, the No Kill Advocacy Center has stated that euthanasia is supportable only when an animal is suffering from severe, unremitting pain that is beyond medicine’s ability to care for or manage despite prompt, necessary, and comprehensive medical intervention.[10]

The central problem of animal sheltering today is that even the best and most progressive shelters still do harm to animals, by employing lethal injection outside the bounds of true euthanasia as an expedient to resolve certain problematic situations. In response, the No Kill movement has called on animal shelters to eliminate non-euthanasia killing and refashion themselves into pure places of unalloyed hope and care. Accordingly, the No Kill Advocacy Center has set the goal to “end the killing of animals who are not irremediably suffering and thus return the term ‘euthanasia’ to its dictionary definition.”[11]

For pioneering shelters with already high life-saving rates, the goal is becoming reachable, and there has never been a more exciting or promising time in the history of animal sheltering in America. With this context in mind, we now turn to examine the remaining cats and dogs still being killed at the Austin Animal Center.

Killed

Overall, killing of cats and dogs at AAC is low compared to most other animal shelters in the country. In the recent cycle, 442 cats and dogs were killed, amounting to 2.63% of all cats and dogs discharged.

Killing falls predominately into three categories:

  • For medical reasons, when the cat or dogs is believed to be gravely sick or injured.
  • For behavior, when the cat or dog is believed to exhibit unmanageable and hazardously aggressive behaviors.
  • For rabies risk, when the cat or dog is believed to pose a risk of rabies transmission.

We will look at each of these categories in the upcoming sections. As shown below, in the recent cycle most killing of cats was for medical reasons, accounting for 90% of the cats killed.

Medical Behavior Rabies
Risk
Court
Count 224 1 23 0
Proportion 90.3 % 0.4 % 9.3 % 0.0 %
Number of cats and proportion per type of killing, Oct 2015 to Sep 2016

Most of the killing of dogs was for medical reasons as well, accounting for a little over half of the dogs killed. Another third were killed for behavior.

Medical Behavior Rabies
Risk
Court
Count 104 65 14 5
Proportion 55.3 % 34.6 % 7.4 % 2.7 %
Number of dogs and proportion per type of killing, Oct 2015 to Sep 2016

Adult cats had the highest proportion of killing (6% of adult cats) and puppies the lowest (about 1% of puppies), as summarized below:

Adult
Cats
Kittens Adult
Dogs
Puppies
Medical 5.3 % 2.3 % 1.2 % 0.7 %
Behavior 0.0 % 0.0 % 0.9 % 0.0 %
Rabies Risk 0.7 % 0.1 % 0.1 % 0.2 %
Court 0.0 % 0.0 % 0.1 % 0.0 %
Total 6.0 % 2.4 % 2.3 % 0.9 %
Proportion killed of each group, Oct 2015 to Sep 2016

Killed for Medical Reasons

Number killed (medical) each month
Number killed (medical) each month, 2014 to Sep 2016

Cats and Dogs
     Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
2014  44  37  40  39  57  71  78  65  53  58  69  66
2015  39  46  52  45  90 105  78  60  43  36  27  22
2016  26  19  21  23  47  42  21  21  23            

Cats
     Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
2014  22  19  22  29  34  48  46  45  37  35  41  41
2015  22  24  30  23  59  80  49  39  25  26  18   9
2016  18  12  13  17  37  30  14  16  14            

Dogs
     Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
2014  22  18  18  10  23  23  32  20  16  23  28  25
2015  17  22  22  22  31  25  29  21  18  10   9  13
2016   8   7   8   6  10  12   7   5   9

In the recent cycle, 224 cats and 104 dogs were killed for medical reasons, for an overall kill rate of 2%. As summarized below, adult cats were disproportionately represented, accounting for 37% of the medical-justified killing but only 14% of the cats and dogs leaving the shelter. The opposite held for all dogs, which were proportionally underrepresented.

Adult
Cats
Kittens Adult
Dogs
Puppies
Count 122 102 84 20
Proportion 37 % 31 % 26 % 6 %
Shelter
Proportion
14 % 27 % 43 % 16 %
Killed (medical) volume by group, Oct 2015 to Sep 2016

In the recent cycle, 244 fewer cats and 179 fewer dogs were killed for medical reasons than in the prior cycle. The rate of killing was more than cut in half for puppies, adult dogs, and adult cats, and nearly cut in half for kittens.

Killed (medical) per group in recent and prior cycles

            Prior_Count Count Delta Prior_Rate  Rate Delta_Rate
1    Kitten         189   102   -87      0.040 0.023     -0.017
2 Adult Cat         279   122  -157      0.116 0.052     -0.064
3     Puppy          62    20   -42      0.020 0.007     -0.013
4 Adult Dog         221    84  -137      0.030 0.012     -0.018

Monthly killing of cats for medical reasons is slightly higher in the early summer, a seasonal effect that is driven by the intake of kittens.

In the recent cycle, on average ten cats, nine kittens, seven dogs, and two puppies were killed per month for medical reasons. All medical-justified killing was trending down.

Monthly kill (medical) volume and trend, 2014 to Sep 2016
atxmonthlycatdogkilledmedical
Kill (medical) rate by month
Monthly kill (medical) rate and trend, 2014 to Sep 2016
atxmonthlycatdogkilledmedicalrate
Kitten and adult cat kill (medical) volume by month
Monthly kitten and adult cat kill (medical) volume and trend, 2014 to Sep 2016
atxmonthlykittencatkilledmedical
Cat summaries
Killed (medical) cats, Oct 2015 to Sep 2016

Adult Cats
             intake_type  intake_condition intake_spay_neuter
 Euthanasia Request:  6   Injured:53       Altered:49        
 Owner Surrender   :  6   Sick   :35       Intact :57        
 Public Assist     :  1   Normal :34       NA's   :16        
 Stray             :109   Aged   : 0                         
                          Feral  : 0                         
                          Nursing: 0                         
                          (Other): 0                         
 outcome_spay_neuter  outcome_subtype    gender         name   
 Altered:53          Medical  :  6    Female:48   Princess: 2  
 Intact :53          Suffering:116    Male  :58   Andre   : 1  
 NA's   :16                           NA's  :16   Bear    : 1  
                                                  Biggie  : 1  
                                                  Bite Cat: 1  
                                                  (Other) :24  
                                                  NA's    :92  
                 breed_1   intake_age_class   days_held     
 Domestic Shorthair  :92   Neonatal:  0     Min.   :  0.00  
 Domestic Medium Hair:12   Infant  :  0     1st Qu.:  0.00  
 Siamese             :10   Adult   :122     Median :  1.00  
 Domestic Longhair   : 8                    Mean   : 13.19  
 Abyssinian          : 0                    3rd Qu.:  6.75  
 Affenpinscher       : 0                    Max.   :347.00  
 (Other)             : 0              
                            
Kittens
             intake_type intake_condition intake_spay_neuter
 Euthanasia Request: 1   Normal :54       Altered: 0        
 Owner Surrender   : 5   Injured:32       Intact :81        
 Public Assist     : 0   Sick   :15       NA's   :21        
 Stray             :96   Nursing: 1                         
                         Aged   : 0                         
                         Feral  : 0                         
                         (Other): 0                         
 outcome_spay_neuter  outcome_subtype    gender        name   
 Altered: 1          Medical  : 5     Female:31   Charlie: 1  
 Intact :80          Suffering:97     Male  :50   Earl   : 1  
 NA's   :21                           NA's  :21   Fred   : 1  
                                                  Gates  : 1  
                                                  Jaguar : 1  
                                                  (Other):11  
                                                  NA's   :86  
                 breed_1   intake_age_class   days_held      
 Domestic Shorthair  :87   Neonatal:77      Min.   :  0.000  
 Domestic Medium Hair: 7   Infant  :25      1st Qu.:  0.000  
 Domestic Longhair   : 4   Adult   : 0      Median :  1.000  
 Siamese             : 3                    Mean   :  9.716  
 Snowshoe            : 1                    3rd Qu.:  9.000  
 Abyssinian          : 0                    Max.   :160.000  
 (Other)             : 0                  
Dog summaries
Killed (medical) dogs, Oct 2015 to Sep 2016

Adult Dogs
             intake_type intake_condition intake_spay_neuter
 Euthanasia Request:14   Injured:39       Altered:43        
 Owner Surrender   :12   Normal :27       Intact :40        
 Public Assist     : 2   Sick   : 9       NA's   : 1        
 Stray             :56   Aged   : 8                         
                         Other  : 1                         
                         Feral  : 0                         
                         (Other): 0                         
 outcome_spay_neuter  outcome_subtype    gender        name   
 Altered:46          Medical  : 6     Female:39   Ruby   : 2  
 Intact :37          Suffering:78     Male  :44   Bacca  : 1  
 NA's   : 1                           NA's  : 1   Beauty : 1  
                                                  Bingo  : 1  
                                                  Blackie: 1  
                                                  (Other):47  
                                                  NA's   :31  
                breed_1   intake_age_class   days_held     
 Chihuahua Shorthair:17   Neonatal: 0      Min.   :  0.00  
 Pit Bull           :11   Infant  : 0      1st Qu.:  0.00  
 Labrador Retriever :10   Adult   :84      Median :  2.00  
 German Shepherd    : 8                    Mean   : 23.13  
 Boxer              : 3                    3rd Qu.:  9.00  
 Dachshund          : 3                    Max.   :446.00  
 (Other)            :32                                  
                                
Puppies
             intake_type intake_condition intake_spay_neuter
 Euthanasia Request: 1   Normal :8        Altered: 4        
 Owner Surrender   : 8   Sick   :7        Intact :16        
 Public Assist     : 0   Injured:4                          
 Stray             :11   Nursing:1                          
                         Aged   :0                          
                         Feral  :0                          
                         (Other):0                          
 outcome_spay_neuter  outcome_subtype    gender        name   
 Altered: 4          Medical  : 1     Female: 8   Daisy  : 1  
 Intact :16          Suffering:19     Male  :12   Gorda  : 1  
                                                  Lucky  : 1  
                                                  Max    : 1  
                                                  Sofia  : 1  
                                                  (Other): 3  
                                                  NA's   :12  
                breed_1  intake_age_class   days_held     
 Pit Bull           :6   Neonatal: 5      Min.   :  0.00  
 Chihuahua Shorthair:2   Infant  :15      1st Qu.:  0.00  
 Labrador Retriever :2   Adult   : 0      Median :  2.00  
 Bullmastiff        :1                    Mean   : 16.05  
 Chihuahua Longhair :1                    3rd Qu.: 11.50  
 Dutch Shepherd     :1                    Max.   :217.00  
 (Other)            :7                                                               

Across the top dog breed labels, the recent cycle saw killing for medical reasons reduced to nearly one third of what it was in the prior cycle.

Killed (medical) per top breed label in recent and prior cycles

                      Prior_Count Count Delta Prior_Rate  Rate Delta_Rate
1 Chihuahua Shorthair          63    19   -44      0.046 0.015     -0.031
2            Pit Bull          55    17   -38      0.036 0.011     -0.025
3  Labrador Retriever          33    12   -21      0.026 0.008     -0.018
4     German Shepherd          13     9    -4      0.022 0.017     -0.005
5               Boxer           4     3    -1      0.015 0.014     -0.001

Most killing for medical reasons happened early, near the day of intake, after which the frequency of medical-justified killings tapered off into a long tail.

Days until killed (medical) per group, 2014 to Sep 2016
atxageclassdaysheld_killedmedical
atxageclassdaysheldbox_killedmedical
Adult dogs time until killed (medical) per top breed label
Adult dog time until killed (medical) per top breed label, Oct 2015 to Sep 2016

                        Count Median_Days Qu3_Days IQR_Days
1   Chihuahua Shorthair    17         3.0     6.00     5.00
2              Pit Bull    11         1.0     8.00     8.00
3    Labrador Retriever    10         3.5     5.00     3.75
4       German Shepherd     8         0.0     2.25     2.25

Days until killed (medical) for adult dogs per top breed label, Oct 2015 to Sep 2016
atxtopbreedsboxesdaysheld_killedmedical

By merely looking at the numbers we cannot gauge whether all the medical-justified killings met the definition of genuine euthanasia. Current thinking says that euthanasia is warranted for less than one percent of all animals entering a shelter, because of modern veterinary science and ways to preserve quality of life through palliative and hospice care.[12, 13] By that measure, there is room to reduce even further the number of animals killed for medical reasons. Regardless, medical-justified killing at every shelter deserves to be continually regulated, audited, and reevaluated with the goal of permitting only actual euthanasia in the context of the current state of the art of care.

Killed for Behavior

Number killed (behavior) each month
Number killed (behavior) each month, 2014 to Sep 2016

Cats and Dogs
     Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
2014  20  20  41  21  28  26  31  21  24  37  26  19
2015  14  22  19  19  24  18  11   7   5   6   2   6
2016   3   5  16   6   8   4   4   3   3            

Cats
     Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
2014   0   0   1   1   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0
2015   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0
2016   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   1            

Dogs
     Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
2014  20  20  40  20  28  26  31  21  24  37  26  19
2015  14  22  19  19  24  18  11   7   5   6   2   6
2016   3   5  16   6   8   4   4   3   2            

In the recent cycle, 65 dogs were killed because of behavior, which was 156 fewer dogs than in the prior cycle, a striking reduction. On average, five dogs were killed per month, versus eighteen dogs per month in the prior cycle.

Killed (behavior) per group in recent and prior cycles

            Prior_Count Count Delta Prior_Rate  Rate Delta_Rate
1    Kitten           0     0     0      0.000 0.000      0.000
2 Adult Cat           0     1     1      0.000 0.000      0.000
3     Puppy           4     0    -4      0.001 0.000     -0.001
4 Adult Dog         217    65  -152      0.029 0.009     -0.020

In the summer of 2015 killing for behavior dropped sharply from double digits into single digits, where it stayed for the duration of the recent cycle, with one exception. There was a spike in killing for behavior in March of 2016, followed by a resumption of the downward trend.

Monthly killed (behavior) volume and trend, 2014 to Sep 2016
atxmonthlydogkilledbehavior
Kill (behavior) rate by month
Monthly kill (behavior) rate and trend, 2014 to Sep 2016
atxmonthlydogkilledbehaviorrate
Dog summaries
Killed (behavior) dogs, Oct 2015 to Sep 2016

Adult Dogs
             intake_type intake_condition intake_spay_neuter
 Euthanasia Request: 0   Normal :64       Altered:37        
 Owner Surrender   :37   Injured: 1       Intact :28        
 Public Assist     :16   Aged   : 0                         
 Stray             :12   Feral  : 0                         
                         Nursing: 0                         
                         Other  : 0                         
                         (Other): 0                         
 outcome_spay_neuter   outcome_subtype    gender         name   
 Altered:45          Aggressive:61     Female:19   Arthur  : 2  
 Intact :20          Behavior  : 4     Male  :46   Oso     : 2  
                                                   Princess: 2  
                                                   Abel    : 1  
                                                   Apple   : 1  
                                                   (Other) :53  
                                                   NA's    : 4  
                           breed_1   intake_age_class   days_held    
 Pit Bull                      :30   Neonatal: 0      Min.   : 0.00  
 German Shepherd               : 6   Infant  : 0      1st Qu.: 9.00  
 Labrador Retriever            : 5   Adult   :65      Median :15.00  
 American Bulldog              : 4                    Mean   :17.32  
 Catahoula                     : 3                    3rd Qu.:20.00  
 American Staffordshire Terrier: 2                    Max.   :95.00  
 (Other)                       :15                      

The 65 dogs killed for behavior in the recent cycle were all adults and had eighteen breed labels. The label “Pit Bull” was disproportionately represented, making up 46% of the dogs killed for behavior, but only 16% of the shelter population of dogs. Nevertheless, the killing of dogs labeled “Pit Bull” for behavior was reduced dramatically. In the prior cycle, 8% of dogs labeled “Pit Bull” were killed for behavior, but in the current cycle that fell to 2%.

Killed (behavior) per breed label in recent and prior cycles

                                  Prior_Count Count Delta Prior_Rate  Rate Delta_Rate
1                        Pit Bull         119    30   -89      0.077 0.019     -0.058
2                 German Shepherd           6     6     0      0.010 0.011      0.001
3              Labrador Retriever          24     5   -19      0.019 0.003     -0.016
4                American Bulldog           3     4     1      0.034 0.047      0.013
5                       Catahoula           4     3    -1      0.026 0.020     -0.006
6  American Staffordshire Terrier           6     2    -4      0.064 0.047     -0.017
7           Australian Cattle Dog           3     2    -1      0.009 0.006     -0.003
8                      Rottweiler           7     2    -5      0.060 0.021     -0.039
9               American Foxhound           0     1     1      0.000 0.091      0.091
10      American Pit Bull Terrier           2     1    -1      0.036 0.030     -0.006
11            Australian Shepherd           0     1     1      0.000 0.010      0.010
12                      Dachshund           1     1     0      0.004 0.004      0.000
13                 Dutch Shepherd           0     1     1      0.000 0.091      0.091
14                English Bulldog           0     1     1      0.000 0.034      0.034
15                 Great Pyrenees           1     1     0      0.010 0.009     -0.001
16                        Mastiff           0     1     1      0.000 0.025      0.025
17                      Shiba Inu           0     1     1      0.000 0.077      0.077
18                  Staffordshire           4     1    -3      0.052 0.011     -0.041

The median time until a dog was killed for behavior was two weeks, and three quarters of all dogs killed for behavior were killed within three weeks.

Days until killed (behavior) per breed label, Oct 2015 to Sep 2016
atxstackedbreeddaysheld_killedbehavior
Time until killed (behavior) per breed label
Days until killed (behavior) per breed label in recent cycle

                                  Count Median_Days Qu3_Days IQR_Days
1                        Pit Bull    30        12.5    17.75      9.5
2                 German Shepherd     6        18.0    19.75      5.0
3              Labrador Retriever     5        14.0    17.00     16.0
4                American Bulldog     4        40.5    62.00     39.5
5                       Catahoula     3         7.0    13.50      8.5
6  American Staffordshire Terrier     2        18.5    21.75      6.5
7           Australian Cattle Dog     2        16.5    18.75      4.5
8                      Rottweiler     2        18.0    24.50     13.0
9                          Akbash     1         9.0     9.00      0.0
10              American Foxhound     1        13.0    13.00      0.0
11      American Pit Bull Terrier     1        10.0    10.00      0.0
12            Australian Shepherd     1        31.0    31.00      0.0
13                      Dachshund     1        16.0    16.00      0.0
14                 Dutch Shepherd     1        40.0    40.00      0.0
15                English Bulldog     1        17.0    17.00      0.0
16                 Great Pyrenees     1        15.0    15.00      0.0
17                        Mastiff     1        10.0    10.00      0.0
18                      Shiba Inu     1        19.0    19.00      0.0
19                  Staffordshire     1        50.0    50.00      0.0

The No Kill Advocacy Center argues that appreciably less than one percent of dogs with worrisome behaviors are beyond our current ability to rehabilitate, pointing to recent studies and to the beliefs of practiced shelter directors.[12]

Though the average for the recent cycle was five dogs killed for behavior per month, the recent quarter (ending September 2016) has seen only three dogs killed per month, which is a rate of 0.5%. Barring further setbacks, like the March 2016 spike, this level of performance puts AAC tantalizingly close to eliminating behavior-justified killing of otherwise healthy dogs, a remarkable and compelling prospect.

Interlude 2: Background on Rabies

People, cats, and dogs acquire the rabies virus from the bite of an infected animal. While it is feasible for the virus to spread from the wet saliva of a rabid animal to an open wound, or to the eyes, nose, or mouth, incidents are exceptionally rare and undocumented, especially with respect to companion animals. The virus cannot be transmitted through contact with the fur, blood, urine, or feces of a sick animal.

Once introduced, the virus incubates for a long time as it travels slowly through nerve fibers to the brain, and at the same time to the salivary glands. This period in cats and dogs is generally three to twelve weeks. Infected cats and dogs start salivary shedding of the rabies virus a few days prior to the onset of clinical symptoms. For all mammals, once clinical signs appear the disease is fatal and the progression to death is swift. Cats and dogs in Texas that bite a person are held in quarantine and observed for ten days.[14, 15] If no rabies symptoms develop, then the cat or dog could not have been shedding virus at the time of the bite.

Diagnosis of rabies in cats, dogs, and wild animals is made by sampling brain tissue, which can only be done after sacrificing the animal. The head is removed, refrigerated, and sent to a specialty laboratory for testing.

Bats and skunks are the primary reservoirs for rabies in Texas. In Travis County bats account for most all of the laboratory-confirmed cases (101 of the 104 confirmed cases in 2015).[16] By contrast, in the past ten years, one dog and one cat in Travis County have tested positive for rabies, out of the 3,371 cats and dogs whose heads were sent to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) laboratory.

Killed for Rabies Risk

Number killed (rabies risk) each month
Number killed (rabies risk) each month, 2014 to Sep 2016

Cats and Dogs
     Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
2014   4  10   1   6   4   2   6   1   6   8   6   2
2015   6   2   2   4   9   3   3   1   1   2   5   5
2016   1   4   1   5   5   3   0   3   3            

Cats
     Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
2014   1   1   0   2   1   1   2   0   1   3   0   0
2015   1   0   0   2   4   3   2   1   0   2   3   3
2016   1   1   0   4   4   0   0   3   2            

Dogs
     Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
2014   3   9   1   4   3   1   4   1   5   5   6   2
2015   5   2   2   2   5   0   1   0   1   0   2   2
2016   0   3   1   1   1   3   0   0   1            

In the recent cycle, 23 cats and 14 dogs were killed for rabies risk. From the data alone it is not possible to know how risk is assessed, whether it derives from the presence of known or suspected wild-animal bites or from the emergence of troubling clinical symptoms. Regardless, in the recent cycle, no cat or dog specimen sent to DSHS from Travis County tested positive for rabies, presumably including the 37 cats and dogs killed at AAC. Therefore, we can safely say that whatever criteria is being used, the sensitivity is low.

Killed (rabies risk) per group in recent and prior cycles

            Prior_Count Count Delta Prior_Rate  Rate Delta_Rate
1    Kitten           6     7     1      0.001 0.002      0.001
2 Adult Cat          10    16     6      0.004 0.007      0.003
3     Puppy           2     5     3      0.001 0.002      0.001
4 Adult Dog          29     9   -20      0.004 0.001     -0.003

On average, two cats and one dog were killed for rabies risk each month in the recent cycle.

Monthly kill (rabies risk) volume and trend, 2014 to Sep 2016
atxmonthlycatdogkilledrabies
Kill (rabies risk) rate by month
Monthly kill (rabies risk) rate and trend, 2014 to Sep 2016
atxmonthlycatdogkilledrabiesrate
Cat summaries
Killed (rabies risk) cats, Oct 2015 to Sep 2016

Adult Cats
             intake_type intake_condition intake_spay_neuter
 Euthanasia Request: 0   Injured:8        Altered: 5        
 Owner Surrender   : 1   Sick   :5        Intact :11        
 Public Assist     : 1   Normal :3                          
 Stray             :14   Aged   :0                          
                         Feral  :0                          
                         Nursing:0                          
                         (Other):0                          
 outcome_spay_neuter    outcome_subtype    gender           name   
 Altered: 5          Rabies Risk:16     Female:7   Benetta    : 1  
 Intact :11                             Male  :9   Jackie     : 1  
                                                   NA's       :14  
               breed_1   intake_age_class   days_held     
 Domestic Shorthair:14   Neonatal: 0      Min.   : 0.000 
 Domestic Longhair : 1   Infant  : 0      1st Qu.: 1.000 
 Siamese           : 1   Adult   :16      Median : 2.000 
                                          Mean   : 2.688 
                                          3rd Qu.: 3.000 
                                          Max.   :15.000 
                            
Kittens
             intake_type intake_condition intake_spay_neuter
 Euthanasia Request:0    Injured:3        Altered:0         
 Owner Surrender   :0    Sick   :3        Intact :5         
 Public Assist     :0    Normal :1        NA's   :2         
 Stray             :7    Aged   :0                          
                         Feral  :0                          
                         Nursing:0                          
                         (Other):0                          
 outcome_spay_neuter    outcome_subtype    gender           name  
 Altered:0           Rabies Risk:7      Female:1   NA's       :7  
 Intact :5                              Male  :4
 NA's   :2                              NA's  :2
                 breed_1  intake_age_class   days_held    
 Domestic Shorthair  :6   Neonatal:3       Min.   :0.000 
 Domestic Medium Hair:1   Infant  :4       1st Qu.:0.500 
                          Adult   :0       Median :1.000 
                                           Mean   :1.714   
                                           3rd Qu.:2.500 
                                           Max.   :5.000  
Dog summaries
Killed (rabies risk) dogs, Oct 2015 to Sep 2016

Adult Dogs
             intake_type intake_condition intake_spay_neuter
 Euthanasia Request:0    Normal :6        Altered:5         
 Owner Surrender   :3    Injured:3        Intact :4         
 Public Assist     :3    Aged   :0                          
 Stray             :3    Feral  :0                          
                         Nursing:0                          
                         Other  :0                          
                         (Other):0                          
 outcome_spay_neuter    outcome_subtype    gender       name  
 Altered:6           Rabies Risk:9      Female:1   Benji  :1  
 Intact :3                              Male  :8   Chico  :1  
                                                   D Jango:1  
                                                   Jameson:1  
                                                   Jun    :1  
                                                   (Other):3  
                                                   NA's   :1  
               breed_1  intake_age_class   days_held   
 Labrador Retriever:2   Neonatal:0       Min.   : 2.00 
 Pit Bull          :2   Infant  :0       1st Qu.: 3.00 
 Siberian Husky    :2   Adult   :9       Median : 5.00 
 Border Collie     :1                    Mean   :13.44 
 German Shepherd   :1                    3rd Qu.:18.00 
 Rat Terrier       :1                    Max.   :58.00 
                           
Puppies
             intake_type intake_condition intake_spay_neuter
 Euthanasia Request:0    Normal :4        Altered:1         
 Owner Surrender   :3    Sick   :1        Intact :4         
 Public Assist     :0    Aged   :0                          
 Stray             :2    Feral  :0                          
                         Injured:0                          
                         Nursing:0                          
                         (Other):0                          
 outcome_spay_neuter    outcome_subtype    gender       name  
 Altered:1           Rabies Risk:5      Female:3   Damu   :1  
 Intact :4                              Male  :2   Missy  :1  
                                                   NA's   :3  
                 breed_1  intake_age_class   days_held  
 Pit Bull            :2   Neonatal:3       Min.   : 1.0
 Border Collie       :1   Infant  :2       1st Qu.: 1.0 
 Chihuahua Shorthair :1   Adult   :0       Median : 1.0 
 Jack Russell Terrier:1                    Mean   : 6.8 
                                           3rd Qu.: 2.0 
                                           Max.   :29.0 

Fewer adult dogs and fewer dogs labeled “Pit Bull” were killed for rabies risk during the recent cycle.

Killed (rabies risk) per breed label in recent and prior cycles

                       Prior_Count Count Delta Prior_Rate  Rate Delta_Rate
1             Pit Bull          11     4    -7      0.007 0.003     -0.004
2        Border Collie           1     2     1      0.004 0.011      0.007
3   Labrador Retriever           2     2     0      0.002 0.001     -0.001
4       Siberian Husky           0     2     2      0.000 0.017      0.017
5  Chihuahua Shorthair           2     1    -1      0.001 0.001      0.000
6      German Shepherd           0     1     1      0.000 0.002      0.002
7 Jack Russell Terrier           1     1     0      0.008 0.007     -0.001
8          Rat Terrier           0     1     1      0.000 0.008      0.008

Most cats and dogs killed for rabies risk were killed within the first week, but a few dogs were killed after several weeks in the shelter.

Days until killed (rabies risk) per group, 2014 to Sep 2016
atxageclassdaysheld_killedrabies

The Center for Disease Control reports that less than one percent of domestic animals sacrificed and tested in the United States are positive for rabies. The positive rate for tested cats and dogs in Travis County over the past decade has been 0.06%. In Travis County and surrounding counties (Bastrop, Blanco, Burnet, Caldwell, Hays, Lee, and Williamson) the rate over the past decade has been 0.26%.

Though rabies poses a very real and serious public health issue, a person whose much loved cat or dog was exposed to or bitten by a wild animal would be understandably loath to have their companion killed, and possibly its head removed for assessment, knowing the low probability that rabies had actually been transmitted. The law in Texas recognizes this state of affairs, and permits post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) in lieu of killing a cat or dog exposed to rabies.[17, 18] Under the Texas PEP protocol, an exposed cat or dog is re-vaccinated, one or more times, and held in isolation from other animals and people, except for contact necessary for its care, for either 45 or 90 days, depending on whether it was currently vaccinated.

Texas law lags behind the current science and the recommendations of the National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians, which support PEP protocols that feature shorter and less strict observation periods when immunization is out of date.[19, 20] Nevertheless, Texas does at least provide a workable statutory framework for preserving the lives of cats and dogs exposed to rabies.

Texas Administrative Code (TAC) Chapter 169 sets uniform rules for rabies control, which local governments may adopt or make more stringent.[21] Travis County has directly adopted the PEP protocols specified in the TAC.[22] The City of Austin, on the other hand, has an old ordinance on the books mandating an obsolete PEP protocol based on a six-month isolation period for all cats and dogs exposed to rabies, regardless of vaccination status.[23] The forced choice between lethal injection or a six-month quarantine makes it unnecessarily hard to preserve the lives of exposed cats and dogs, both for AAC and for city residents.

Interlude 3: The Time Ahead

The most perilous thing that can happen to an American cat or dog is to become separated from their person and end up in The System of animal control and animal shelters. Even in forward-thinking cities like Austin, animals entering the sheltering system can end up dead when their situation, through no fault of their own, places them in conflict with competing and worthy interests like public safety.

For those who love animals and want to protect them from harm, there is no getting around the truth that the sheltering system continues to kill animals for reasons that are unconnected to what is best for the animals themselves, using injurious means to achieve desired ends.

The No Kill Advocacy Center has set the uplifting goal of ending non-euthanasia killing, challenging progressive animal shelters to pioneer new ways of serving all their stakeholders without accepting harm to animals as the collateral cost, and arguing that a better and ethically consistent future in animal sheltering rests on the self-evident principle that the animals still being killed matter just as much as those who no longer face death.[12]

As the data presented here show, the Austin Animal Center, with new management and with the steadfast help of Austin Pets Alive! and other partners, has already reduced non-euthanasia killing to a small number. Astonishingly, the ambitious goal set by the No Kill Advocacy Center is actually within sight for the City of Austin. With committed leadership and support, and steady innovation, Austin Animal Center is positioned to forever change the face of animal sheltering and become the very first high-volume metropolitan shelter that is exclusively a place of safety.

Photo Olive says, “People beds are nice…” by Eileen McFall is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0, cropped from original.

References

  1. Diaz, Joy. 2015. City’s New Animal Services Officer on How to Increase Adoptions and Keep Austin No-Kill. National Public Radio KUT Austin.
  2. Austin Code of Ordinances Section 3.1.25(c).
  3. Potter, Kristen. 2006. Methods for Presenting Statistical Information: The Box Plot. Visualization of Large and Unstructured Data Sets, Lecture Notes in Informatics S-4: 97-106.
  4. Schwartz, Barry. 2004. The Paradox of Choice. Harper Collins. (Amazon)
  5. Iyengar, Sheena S. and Mark R. Lepper. 2000. When Choice is Demotivating: Can One Desire Too Much of a Good Thing? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 79, no. 6: 995-1006.
  6. Austin Pets Alive! 2015. Austin’s Progress.
  7. Austin Pets Alive! 2015. Asilomar Advanced Animal Statistics.
  8. Craig, Jordan and Jennifer Smith. 2015. Austin Animal Services Stray Cat Return Program. American Pets Alive! No Kill Conference. February 2015.
  9. Bryant, Taimie L. 2008. Sacrificing the Sacrifice of Animals: Legal Personhood for Animals, the Status of Animals as Property, and the Presumed Primacy of Humans. Rutgers Law Journal 39. no. 247: 247-330.
  10. No Kill Advocacy Center. 2016. What Shelters Owe Traumatized Animals.
  11. No Kill Advocacy Center. 2016. Defining No Kill.
  12. No Kill Advocacy Center. 2016. Behaviorally Challenged Dogs: Can We Save Them All?
  13. No Kill Advocacy Center. 2016. A Lifesaving Matrix.
  14. Texas Health and Safety Code Section 826.042.
  15. Texas Administrative Code Section 169.27.
  16. Texas Department of State Health Services. 2016. Rabies Surveillance in Texas.
  17. Administrative Code Section 169.30.
  18. Wilson, Pamela, Ernest Oertli, Patrick Hunt, and Thomas Sidwa. 2010. Evaluation of Postexposure Rabies Prophylaxis Protocol for Domestic Animals in Texas: 2000-2009. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 237 (December). no. 12: 1395-1401.
  19. Brown, Catherine, Sally Slavinski, Paul Attested, Tom Sidwa, and Faye Sorhage. 2016. Compendium of Animal Rabies Prevention and Control, 2016. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 248 (May). no. 5: 505-517.
  20. Moore, Michael, Rolan Davis, Qing Kang, Christopher Vahl, Ryan Wallace, Cathleen Hanlon, and Derek Mosier. 2015. Comparison of Anamnestic Responses to Rabies Vaccination in Dogs and Cats with Current and Out-of-Date Vaccination Status. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 246 (February). no. 2: 205-211.
  21. Texas Health and Safety Code Section 826.014.
  22. Travis County Code Section 52.010.
  23. Austin Code of Ordinances Section 3.3.5(b).

3 Comments

  1. Thank you for all this excellent data. Do the pit bull figures above also include pit bull mixes (as primary or secondary breed)? Do you have the mean length of stay for adopted pit bulls?

    1. The figures given are for primary breed label, which includes dogs that are mixes or that have a secondary breed label. The median length of stay for dogs labeled “Pit Bull” was 30 days. The frequency distributions of time-to-adoption and time-to-transfer have outliers: dogs that take an unusually long time to reach their outcome. These are often dogs that have gone to rehabilitative foster care under the aegis of the animal shelter. The outliers unduly affect the mean, which is why median is a better gauge of the “middle.” Also, keep in mind that visual breed labeling in animal shelters and DNA testing show great disparities. Consequently, many modern shelters are dropping breed labels, since the assigned labels can unnecessarily prolong a dog’s stay in the shelter. See the following studies:

      What’s in a Name? Effect of Breed Perceptions & Labeling on Attractiveness, Adoptions & Length of Stay for Pit-Bull-Type Dogs
      A comparison of visual and dna identification of breeds of dogs
      Comparison of Visual and DNA Breed Identification of Dogs and Inter-Observer Reliability
      Pit Bull Identification in Animal Shelters

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