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 % |
Nearly half of all cats and dogs were adopted. Less than 3% were killed by lethal injection.
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.
Cat outcomes per intake type
Dog outcomes per intake type
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
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.
Adoption rate by month
Kitten and adult cat adoption volume by month
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
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
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).
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:
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
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.
Redemption rate by month
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.
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.
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.
As the histogram suggests, the median time to redemption for public assistance dogs was eight days.
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 % |
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
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.
Transfer (partner) rate by month
Kitten and adult cat transfer (partner) volume by month
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.
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.
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.
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
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
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
Transfer (SCRP) rate by month
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.
Ninety percent of SCRP transfers were completed within the first week and nearly all were completed within two weeks.
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
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
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 % |
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 % |
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 % |
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 % |
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.
Kill (medical) rate by month
Kitten and adult cat kill (medical) volume by month
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.
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
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
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.
Kill (behavior) rate by month
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.
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
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
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
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.
Kill (rabies risk) rate by month
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.
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
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
Texas Administrative Code (TAC) Chapter 169 sets uniform rules for rabies control, which local governments may adopt or make more
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
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.
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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?
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