Last July, Seattle Animal Watch (SAW) analyzed Seattle Animal Shelter’s intake data from 2016 to 2023. The most concerning finding was the sharp increase in post-adoption returns of dogs and cats in 2023.
We recognize that returns in and of themselves are not bad. Sometimes an adoption is simply not a good fit and it takes some time to realize that. It happens. It is also far preferable to return the animal to the shelter or rescue group than abandonment or sale. The animal has a second chance and the shelter staff have more information for the next adoption applicant.
However, the increase from 2022 to 2023 is quite alarming as it exceeds even pre-COVID numbers. We do not as of yet have the data for return reasons. We reached out to the City of Seattle and have posted their response at the end of this summary.
Please note that “small animals” refers to all animals available for adoption at SAS that are NOT cats, dogs or rabbits. This category includes reptiles, birds, guinea pigs, mice, ferrets, rats, etc.
RETURNS DATA
Less than 30 Days After Adoption
We see that rabbits and small animals remain consistent during the seven-year period. However, there were 79 returns of dogs in 2023 as compared to 31 returns the prior year of 2022. This is more than a 150 percent increase in one year. It is also more than twice the number of returns in the next highest year of 2019 at 35 returns.
There is also an increase in cat returns after less than 30 days. There were 28 cat returns in 2023, more than twice as many as in 2022 and 60 percent higher than the next highest years of 2017 and 2018.
31 to 60 Days After Adoption
Once again, rabbits and small animals are consistent in their returns. Cat returns are also relatively steady. However, we see 2023 dog returns once again exceeding 2022 returns. Only one dog returned to the shelter during the post-adoption period while 12 returned in 2023. Again, 12 dog returns exceeds the prior high of 5 in 2018.
Over 60 Days After Adoption
Rabbits and small animal returns are again consistent while cat and dog returns exceed prior years. For dogs, there were 12 returns in 2023 as opposed to 4 in 2022. This is a three-time increase in returns for this period and it exceeds the prior high points of 7 returns in 2018 and 2020. Cat returns are also on the increase, although they did have a similar spike in 2021.
Response from the City of Seattle
This is the response from Melissa Mixon, Communications and Marketing Director for the Department of Finance and Administrative Services
"Adoption return rates for SAS were relatively steady outside of increases in 2021 and, as you’ll see, a more significant one in 2023. Other shelters in our region experienced a similar uptick. It’s hard to pinpoint one single factor contributing to adoption returns and surrenders, but as this Seattle Times story from 2023 highlights (and as we shared with Crosscut when asked a similar question) some factors include the housing crisis, economic hardship, and more dogs with behavioral issues coming into municipal shelters like ours. The latter issue is not insignificant, by the way. And it’s a big part of why the shelter has invested heavily in safety measures the past two years like revising the training for its dog behavior team, setting stricter volunteer protocols for who can handle dogs with the potential to bite or a bite history, and of course continuing to provide more intensive adoption counseling for dogs with bite histories (this includes requiring fosters and adopters to sign paperwork acknowledging they have an animal in their care with behavioral issues and that they have been provided information on the animal’s full history—this was also provided to Crosscut in the case of Grubauer).
We also want to note that the shelter industry does not necessarily consider an adoption return as a bad thing. Sometimes it’s just not a good fit for families or pets. A returned adoption ends up being similar to a foster stay—the animal gets out of the shelter for a while and shelters get more information to help guide future placements.
For reporting purposes, returns are tracked if they happen within the first 30 days and adopters can have full fees refunded up to that time. Any animal brought back to the shelter after 30 days is considered a regular owner-surrender."