That’s a bunch of bullies!

"Our shelter is packed with Pitbulls" is such a familiar comment from individuals working in shelters and rescues throughout the country. When Kristen Hassan from American Pets Alive went on social media asking the question, "What percent of dogs entering shelters are Bully breeds?", I was not surprised to see guesses like 70% to 90%. Well, I'm excited to share the actual percentage along with findings from what is one of the largest data sets on shelter dog breeds; including answers to many questions regarding Bully breeds vs. the rest of our dog population.

Before we jump into the data, it is important to know the source of the data and how it's organized. First, we start with 1266 organizations from all 50 US states that have dog intake. The data is broken up into three categories:

I examined the data from the last three years, but since there are only some modest differences, I am going to focus my observations on this blog to 2021 data.

Now, the answer you've been waiting for is, "What percent of dogs entering the shelter are bully breeds?". 17%, based on our data. 12% account for Mix and 71% for Other. At this point, I want to clarify that the data is only as good as the breed identification. We can debate if this number is correct, but it is the data available as per each shelter's ability to measure so. One not of critical importance I always try to make clear is that it is exceedingly difficult to fix a problem we can't measure. If we think this is wrong, how do we practically categorize the dogs we believe have a unique path in our shelters? Is it size, weight, or additional breed categories? I'd love to hear your ideas.

Whether the true percent is 17% or 80%, we can still find use for this data by comparing it to the other two categories. The first area I want to look at is intake vs. in-shelter population and foster population. While intake is 17%, our population in shelters is 22%, and in foster it is 13%. This is likely not a surprise to many. It is more difficult to find both temporary and permanent placements for "bullies," causing a higher percentage to be in the shelter:

The next comparison that builds on population is length of stay v. days in care. These two numbers are similar but for different animals. Length of stay measures the period of time in care for animals that were outcomed, while days in care measures the same period for animals still in care. As you can see, both the average length of stay and median days in care are significantly longer for Bullies.

The final comparison is to look at both the positive and negative outcomes. It is not surprising that Bullies are much more likely to be euthanized. It is also expected to see Bullies less likely to be adopted or transferred. The surprise for me was to see Bullies having a greater return rate. For those that are interested in the no-labels movement, this data is interesting since mix shows higher adoption rate while also showing a lower return to owner rate. I am conscious not to read too much into this because organizations that have implemented no-labels might not perform lost/found services. But it is definitely something that could warrant further study.

I look forward to feedback on this data. Just like we have seen the divergence of trends between dogs and cats, I believe there is a divergence between the "Easy to Place" vs. the "Hard to Place" dogs and finding a way to track the difference statistically is critical to measuring our overall success locally and nationally.

Through this measurement and tracking, we can work together to dissuade misconceptions, provide the best care for animals in need, and see more of those animals find loving homes. I'll continue to dig into the data on topics like this and more, sharing my insights and perspective and welcoming your feedback and questions as always.

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