Laura Vodden
Pet abandonment is a global issue. Despite a history of healthy animals being euthanised at shelters if not adopted or reclaimed quickly enough (Lepper et al., 2002), in recent years there has been a dramatic global decrease in number of animals euthanised in shelters. This is considered to be due to the emergence of a global ‘rescue culture’ (Hertzog, 2018; Robert & Kartal, 2018). Nevertheless, there are still valid concerns regarding the welfare of surrendered animals, even at ‘no-kill’ shelters (PETA, 2020). The Austin Animal Center (AAC) in Texas, USA, aspires to maintain a 90% survival rate for all animals who pass through the shelter (Austin Animal Center, 2020). The purpose of this report is to analyse animal outcomes at the AAC, and to investigate the rate of adoption and euthanasia of domestic animals between 2013 and 2019. Using the RStudio data analysis software, this report demonstrates outcomes across animal types, identifies which animals are most likely to be adopted, and which ones spend the most time at the AAC, as well as the main reasons for and rate of euthanasia. The report finds that younger animals are the most likely to be adopted or transferred to a partner shelter, especially if they are desexed, and that cats and dogs have similar outcomes as opposed to birds, livestock and wildlife. Older animals are more likely to be euthanised, however the report finds that the 90% survival rate claim is sound.