Seattle Animal Shelter Statistics

Download:

2008 Seattle Animal Shelter Statistics (PDF File)

The collection and publication of this data is sponsored by a generous donation from Maddie's Fund.

What are the Asilomar Accords?

In August 2004, a group of animal welfare industry leaders from across the nation met in Monterey County at the Asilomar Convention Center in Pacific Grove, California.  The purpose was to build bridges across varying philosophies, developing relationships and creating goals focused on significantly reducing the euthanasia of healthy and treatable companion animals in the United States.  The Asilomar Accords were born.

The Accords outline principles that guide animal welfare organizations to work together to save the lives of all healthy and treatable companion animals.  The document aims to cut through the rhetoric of "no kill" vs. "limited admission" vs. "open admission" shelters and to dispel the murkiness of what defines an adoptable animal.  The animal sheltering world hasn't always been clear or consistent when it comes to reporting results.  Without the Asilomar Accords, definitions and reporting methods varied from group to group, making understanding of information difficult, if not impossible, across organizations. 

By utilizing a standard language for their statistics, shelters and their supporters are able to easily and clearly track progress both at a specific shelter and across shelters nationwide. 

How Can I Understand the Statistics?

Euthanasia statistics are represented in four categories: healthy, treatable/rehabilitatable, treatable/manageable, and unhealthy/untreatable, according to Asilomar Accords definitions.  These clear definitions allow our community to understand the euthanasia statistics for their local animal welfare organizations without the confusion of unclear or unethical reporting. 

The Live Release Rate is perhaps the most compelling of the statistics.  The Live Release Rate reveals the percentage of animals that leave the shelter alive regardless of their health or behavior status.  This measurement eliminates any subjective definition of the word "adoptable".