Adoptable Dogs in the USA [January 2024 Statistics]

Hey! Are you considering adopting a dog, but don’t know where to start? Here is an analysis I did of 152,000 dogs up for adoption on Petfinder’s database as of end of December 2023. I evaluated the regional dog availability, the most common breeds for adoption, the health status of the dogs, and their compatibility with families.

Dog Adoption Overview 

As of December 2023, there were approximately 152,000 dogs listed on Petfinder available for adoption in the United States. Among these, 35% are located in Texas, California, and Florida.

These statistics align with the fact that these three states have the highest intake of dogs in shelters. Fortunately, the rate of animals surrendered by their owners has decreased nationally, including in Texas, California, and Florida. But, the number of stray dogs (abandoned, lost, or born on the street) has continued increasing, driving the number of intakes in shelters.

When normalizing the number of dogs for adoption with the population size, Massachusetts, Hawaii, Delaware, and South Dakota have the highest number of adoptable dogs per resident.

Who are these dogs?

There is a fairly equal distribution between males and females. Nearly half are medium-sized, weighing between 20 and 35 lbs, and almost half are between the ages of 3 and 7.

Popular Breeds

The three most common dog breeds available for adoption are Pitbull Terriers, Labrador Retriever, and German Shepherd, and there are a few reasons for this.

Pitbulls are less likely to get adopted as they have a reputation for being aggressive. Labrador Retrievers are the most popular breed in the world, but many owners are not prepared for their high energy therefore many will end up surrendering them to shelters. As for German Shepherds, similarly to Labradors, they also require a lot of mental and physical exercise, but sadly many owners are not suitable for them.

How is their health?

• 77% of dogs are spayed or neutered to reduce the problem of homeless animals. Puppies are not typically spayed/neutered until they are 6 months old.
• On average, 74% have their shots up to date. 
• Only 3% of the dogs were considered to have special needs, most of whom have physical disabilities, chronic conditions, or behavioral problems. Contrary to what people believe that senior dogs represent a problem due to possible health conditions and engrained behaviors, only 9% of them were classified as having special needs.

Are they a good fit for your lifestyle?

• 67% of them are not house-trained yet, so expect accidents at home at the beginning, especially if you plan to adopt a puppy. You will need to be willing to put in the time and effort.
• When it comes to evaluating if they are going to get along with other human or animal members of the family, it is always a surprise factor, to be honest. You can have an idea from the initial interactions, but you are only going to discover it when the new dog arrives at home.

What about their personalities?

According to their foster families, they are mostly friendly, affectionate, and playful.

What are the most popular names?

Methodology

For this study, we downloaded the list of available dogs for adoption on Petfinder’s API, as of December 30th, 2023. In particular, we focused on the following fields: dog name, gender, primary breed, size, age, attributes, environment, and tags. In total, our data was based on 151,901 dog records in the United States.

For some analysis, we merged data from the U.S. Census Bureau conducted in April 2020, and The Industry Trends Dashboard from the National Base of Shelter Animals Count (2023 YTD numbers).

Final Thoughts

If you’re looking to expand your family with a furry addition, please consider adopting as your first choice as many pups are still waiting for their fur-ever homes 🥹.

As you have seen, there is a good variety of options available depending on your preferences and lifestyle. You can choose from a range of sizes, ages, and breeds, and most are healthy and ready to be adopted.

If you can’t adopt at this time, another way to help is by spreading the word. Feel free to share this information with others 💖.