{"id":20289,"date":"2023-12-07T10:54:31","date_gmt":"2023-12-07T15:54:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsroom.ocfl.net\/?post_type=press-release&p=20289"},"modified":"2023-12-07T10:55:18","modified_gmt":"2023-12-07T15:55:18","slug":"orange-county-animal-services-publishes-2023-shelter-data","status":"publish","type":"press-release","link":"https:\/\/newsroom.ocfl.net\/media-advisories\/press-releases\/2023\/12\/orange-county-animal-services-publishes-2023-shelter-data\/","title":{"rendered":"Orange County Animal Services Publishes 2023 Shelter Data"},"content":{"rendered":"

Shelter Achieves Live Release Rate of 90%+ for Third Straight Year<\/em><\/p>\n

\"OrangeOrange County, Fla.\u00a0\u2013 <\/strong>Orange County Animal Services (OCAS) has published its statistics<\/a> and third annual \u201cYear End Report,\u201d detailing the data for fiscal year 2023, which spanned October 1, 2022 through September 30, 2023. The figures confirm that trends observed nationwide are occurring in Orange County.<\/p>\n

Shelter Animals Count<\/a>, a national source for animal sheltering data, recently published their third quarter analysis<\/a> and states: \u201cshelters are in their third year of having too many animals and not enough adoptions \u2014 especially for dogs. The current trend shows dog adoptions down 1.2% from 2022 numbers, after shelter intake January-September 2023 saw a 2.5% increase in dog intake.\u201d<\/p>\n

Animal Services received 7,040 cats and 7,005 dogs in fiscal year 2023, with the latter category showing an annual increase in intakes since the start of the pandemic.<\/p>\n

\u201cA common misconception over the years is that our intake is tied to human population, with the fear being that if people are moving here in droves than dogs are also being abandoned at record rates,\u201d said Diane Summers, manager for Orange County Animal Services. \u201cLooking over our data since 2010, we\u2019ve had a steady, if not slight decline, in the rate of dog intake. We saw a significant decrease during the pandemic, but unfortunately dog intake numbers have nearly bounced right back, up 27% in 2023 compared with 2020.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hill\u2019s Pet Nutrition<\/a> recently published their \u201cState of Shelter Adoption Report<\/a>\u201d which also analyzes national animal welfare data and suggests that people are reluctant to own pets due to cost, with veterinary care cited as a top expenditure, and housing concerns, due to restrictions imposed by property owners.<\/p>\n

Despite these challenges, Orange County Animal Services was successful in achieving a live release rate[1]<\/a> of at least 90% for the third year in a row<\/a>. In fiscal year 2023, Animal Services facilitated an adoption, rescue placement or owner reunification outcome for 94% of its dogs and 87% of its cats, an overall rate of 90%. This metric is meaningful as nationwide animal welfare industry leader Best Friends<\/a> has established 90% as the threshold<\/a> for a shelter to be considered \u201cno-kill,\u201d although Orange County Animal Services does not utilize this particular label.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of good to be recognized in reviewing these numbers,\u201d said Summers. \u201cThis past year we\u2019ve implemented new programs, revamped and expanded existing programs, and the proof of that success is in this data, but more so in the faces of the pets we get to help each day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Additional data points of note:<\/p>\n