New report provides data on barriers to
adoption including pet care costs, access to veterinary care and
housing restrictions; offers hopeful insights and commentary on
pathways to addressing the over-capacity crisis in shelters
OVERLAND
PARK, Kan., July 25,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Hill's Pet Nutrition, a leading
partner in animal welfare, today released new findings from
the 2024 Hill's Pet Nutrition State of Shelter Pet
Adoption Report. The research, which provides insights from a
socio-economically diverse group of 2,500 current and prospective
pet owners, provides a deeper understanding of consumer perceptions
and behaviors driving the increase in animal intakes in animal
shelters and decrease in adoption rates.
For the fourth year in a row, animal shelters across the country
are facing an over-capacity crisis. According to Shelter
Animals Count, 6.5 million cats and dogs entered shelters and
rescues in 2023 alone, and populations increased by 900,000 animals
since January 2021. New data from
Shelter Animals Count indicates that animals of all sizes are
experiencing an increased length of stay compared to 2019, fueling
the shelter capacity crisis.
Additional photos and B-roll can be downloaded here.
"Collaboration and a community-centric approach are crucial to
finding impactful ways to address pet homelessness and
over-capacity issues in animal shelters," said Dr. Karen Shenoy, US Chief Veterinary Officer at
Hill's Pet Nutrition. "Outside of our more than 22 year history of
providing nutritional support to more than 1,000 animal shelters,
we are also committed to providing support beyond nutrition to give
our shelter partners and the broader animal welfare community data
and insights to help us work collectively to create a happier and
healthier world for pets and the people who care for them."
One way we do that is by supplying shelters with quality
nutrition to help shelter pets be healthy, happy and more
adoptable. Since 2002, the Hill's Food, Shelter & Love
program has provided more than $300
million worth of dog and cat nutrition to more than 1,000
animal shelters."
The report also features insights from animal welfare leaders
and highlights innovative shelter programs to provide possible
pathways and solutions to removing barriers, minimizing owner
surrenders and supporting more adoptions.
"The 2024 Hill's Pet Nutrition State of Shelter Pet Adoption
Report gives the animal welfare community difference-making
data," said Jim Tedford, President
and CEO at The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement. "It
allows animal shelters to better understand what pet parents need
to make adoption more accessible so they can equip pet parents with
the information and resources needed to welcome a shelter pet into
their home."
Key Findings
The following key findings from the 2024
Hill's Pet Nutrition State of Shelter Pet Adoption Report
will support shelters in creating more data-driven strategies for
removing barriers to pet adoption and care.
America Still Loves an Underdog (and Cat)
Overall, Americans are open to adopting shelter pets, and younger
generations are even more likely to adopt:
- 66% of people are likely to adopt shelter pets
- Of Gen Z and Millennials who've adopted a shelter pet before,
90% and 94% respectively are likely to adopt again; and for those
who've never adopted a shelter pet, 75% and 77% respectively are
likely to adopt
Cost of Pet Ownership Continues to Be Top Barrier to
Adoption
Respondents' top concerns about owning a
pet relate mostly to the finances involved in caring for a pet:
- Nearly 50% of respondents said overall cost of pet ownership
was the biggest challenge to pet ownership
- 84% of respondents said veterinary care is the most expensive
part of owning a pet
Income Levels and Pet-Inclusive Housing Are Defining
Factors in Pet Ownership Accessibility
Pet adoption is
less accessible for people making less than $75,000:
- Those making less than $75,000
are more likely to surrender a pet due to financial difficulties
and are more likely to say the cost of pet ownership exceeded their
expectations
- Those making less than $50,000
are more likely to have experienced at least one pet-related
housing restriction and are more likely to say the cost of
veterinary care impacts their decision to adopt
Large Dogs Still Lag in Adoptions But Gen Z Is
Key
Respondents report being less likely to adopt large
dogs than cats or small- to medium-sized dogs, which are believed
to be easier and less expensive to manage:
- Fewer than one in four respondents report being likely to adopt
a large dog:
- 46% are likely to adopt a small dog
- 45% are likely to adopt a medium dog
- 39% are likely to adopt a cat
- 24% are likely to adopt a large dog
- With 37% of 18- to 24-year-olds saying they are open to
adopting a large dog, Gen Z is statistically more likely to adopt a
large dog than any other age group
Misconceptions Around Fostering Leading to Lower
Participation Rates
While survey respondents view
fostering favorably, misperceptions about the costs and a fear of
adopting the fostered pet may be limiting broader
participation:
- 40% of prospective fosters are afraid of adopting their foster
pet (There is no expectation for fosterers to adopt)
- 64% of prospective fosters say that if pet care costs were
covered during the experience, they'd be likely to foster
(Fostering usually requires minimal financial investment, with many
shelters providing the fosterer with all necessary supplies,
including pet food)
Post-Adoption Support is Key to Reducing Returns and
Relinquishments
Offering pet parents post-adoption
support, especially behavior services, is a powerful tool to
keeping more pets with their families:
- Respondents rated post-adoption behavioral services more likely
to positively influence adoption (34%) than pre-adoption behavioral
services (30%)
- Of respondents who experienced post-adoption anxiety, 46% said
behavioral issues were the top driving force
- Of individuals who had relinquished a pet, 24% said
behavioral/training issues were the top reason for
surrendering
- 94% of pet owners considering relinquishment kept their pet
after receiving support
"Animal sheltering organizations across the country are now
grappling with a 'new normal' where dogs are now waiting nearly
twice as long to get adopted than they were prior to the pandemic,"
said Stephanie Filer, Executive
Director at Shelter Animals Count. "The Hill's Pet Nutrition
State of Shelter Pet Adoption Report provides invaluable
insights into why the capacity crisis is occurring so that
sheltering organizations, and their communities alike, can actually
do something about it."
The report is part of Hill's Pet Nutrition ongoing commitment to
animal welfare which includes a rich history of more than two
decades of work and programming that has helped support more than
14 million adoptions, provided more than $300 million dollars in pet nutrition to feed
shelter pets at more than 1,000 shelters across the country and has
provided millions of dollars to fuel local food pantries for
communities in need.
For more information about the 2024 Hill's Pet Nutrition
State of Shelter Pet Adoption Report,
visit www.hillspet.com/shelter.
About Hill's Pet Nutrition
Founded more than 75 years ago, Hill's Pet Nutrition has been
committed to providing pets with the best nutrition through
extensive research and a scientific understanding of their specific
needs. Their team of 220+ veterinarians, PhD nutritionists, and
food scientists constantly strive to develop innovative solutions
for pet health. Hill's offers a full line of products, including
their Prescription Diet therapeutic nutrition and Science Diet
wellness products, which are available at veterinary clinics and
pet specialty retailers worldwide. For more information about their
products and nutritional philosophy, please
visit HillsPet.com.
Media Contact:
Emma Honn, emma.honn@vml.com
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hills-pet-nutrition-releases-2024-state-of-shelter-pet-adoption-report-302206618.html
SOURCE Hill's Pet Nutrition