Does size matter?

Earlier this summer, I had the opportunity to talk at a summit on Dog Supply and Demand. Often, when I'm invited to speak, I end up using data sets I have already presented. I try to add new or unique information to make it interesting, particularly for those who may already read my blog or who have seen me speak at other events. We've had many conversations about the plight of big dogs; for this event, I decided to investigate the impact a dog's size has on their time in care and their outcome.

Now, I don't have consistent size data, so I looked at breed, utilizing the average weight for that breed. I should note that based on that criterion, bully breeds are classified as medium-sized. I did look at the data for multiple years and did not see any variance, so what I'm showing here is 2021 data.

For the first chart, you'll see the percent intake compared to the shelter and foster population. About 80% of the dogs that come to the shelter are medium to extra-large, so right away, it's clear that the "Big Dog Issue" starts with intake. That said, I do not know how that aligns with pet ownership, but big dogs definitely dominate shelters. Adding to that fact is that it is hard to place larger dogs in foster care, further exacerbating the percentage of large dogs that are housed in the shelter facility.

Next, I looked at outcomes based on the percentage of intake. Like many of you, I expected the adoption rate to be lower and the euthanasia rate to be higher for larger dogs, but that wasn't the case. The rates are pretty much the same for all sizes of dogs, which, I believe, challenges the myth that larger canines are harder to place.

That said, the story changes when we look at Length of Stay and Days in Care. In this case, larger dogs are in our shelters longer, proving that big dogs require additional time and resources to have the same outcome of small dogs.

Overall, when I look at this data, I think there is a clear message. Dogs of all sizes have an equal chance of a positive outcome, but the vast majority of dogs coming into shelters are big dogs, and because of that volume, big dogs take more time to place than smaller dogs. The question I still wonder is, "Are big dogs proportionately at more risk for surrender?". Do our intervention programs address the unique needs of big dog pet parents? I hope this data helps answer some questions while posing additional ones. If you have subject ideas or would like to explore other data sets, please reach out to me!