How the Shelter Directory Works

What "pets waiting" measures

Each shelter's number is a count of the adoption listings publicly available on that shelter's own website on the date shown. It is a count of listings, not a census of animals in care: bonded pairs and litters sometimes share one listing, so the true number of animals is often higher. We never estimate or extrapolate - if a shelter does not publish a usable public count, we show no number for it and say so in the coverage line.

How often counts refresh

Counts are re-collected at most weekly and every page shows the date its counts were observed. A count older than 30 days is never presented as current and never enters the totals you see on state and city pages.

How the totals work

Page totals sum the current counts of the listed shelters. Shelters without a usable current count stay in the "tracked" number but add nothing to the total. Where one organization operates several listed facilities, we count its pets only once.

No-kill status and save rates

Save-rate figures come from Best Friends Animal Society community data; each profile that shows a save rate links the specific source and the date we last checked it. The no-kill label on each profile reflects the shelter's own published commitment or the Best Friends dataset, as stated on that profile.

How shelters are grouped

Shelters are grouped into metro areas primarily using the U.S. Census Bureau's metropolitan-area delineations, with the area named for its best-known principal city. Each profile also shows the shelter's actual municipality, which may differ from the metro name.

Corrections and removals

If a fact on a listing is wrong, or your organization would like its listing updated or removed, email support@4everypaw.com and we will act promptly. Removed listings stop appearing across the directory.

Imagery

Profile imagery is illustrative and does not depict a specific animal at the shelter.