Data report · Updated October 2026
How many dogs are adopted in India, and how many are bought?
India has no official count of dog adoptions. The best national figure is a 2024 Mars and Ipsos survey: 6% of Indian pet dogs were adopted from shelters, while 23% came from pet shops and 17% from breeders. Shelter records are thin. CUPA in Bengaluru rehomes about 20 to 25 dogs a month.
Key findings
- India has no national register of pet adoptions, and neither the AWBI nor any municipality publishes yearly adoption counts.
- A 2024 Mars and Ipsos survey of 1,000 Indian pet owners found 6% of dogs came from shelters, against 23% from pet shops and 17% from breeders.
- On those figures, Indian owners bought about 6.7 dogs for every one they adopted from a shelter.
- An insurance executive told PTI in 2024 that 6 lakh pets are adopted in India every year, 63% of them dogs, but gave no source.
- CUPA's Second Chance Adoption Centre in Bengaluru recorded 217 adoptions in 2019-20 and 264 in 2020-21.
- Friendicoes' Defence Colony shelter in Delhi rehomed about 5 dogs a month in 2019 while about 30 abandoned dogs arrived.
- Half of current and previous Indian pet owners told Mars in 2021 they had relinquished a pet, against 28% globally.
- About 34% of Indian respondents in the same Mars study said they had abandoned a dog on the street.
- An adopted Indie costs nothing to about Rs 3,000, against a median pet-quality puppy price of Rs 30,000 across 58 breeds in our guides.
How many dogs are adopted in India every year?
Nobody knows. India has no national adoption register, and the Animal Welfare Board of India does not publish adoption counts. Most shelters are private trusts that do not report numbers in a common format.
The only national figure in circulation is a claim. In a May 2024 PTI report, an HDFC ERGO executive said 6 lakh pets are adopted in India each year, 63% of them dogs. That would be about 3.8 lakh dogs, but he gave no source and we could not trace one.
Survey data gives a share rather than a count. A 2024 Mars and Ipsos survey found 6% of Indian pet dogs were adopted from shelters. We cannot turn that share into a reliable number, because India's pet dog population itself is only estimated.
| Source | Figure | What it measures | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mars and Ipsos survey (n=1,000 India) | 6% | Share of pet dogs adopted from shelters | 2024 |
| HDFC ERGO executive, via PTI | 6 lakh pets, 63% dogs | Claimed annual pet adoptions, unsourced | 2024 |
| CUPA annual report | 217 | Total animal adoptions, Second Chance Adoption Centre | 2019-20 |
| CUPA annual report | 264 | Total animal adoptions | 2020-21 |
| CUPA annual report | 20 to 25 a month | Dogs adopted to new homes | 2019 to 2021 |
| Blue Cross of India website | 1,05,885 | Adoptions facilitated since 1959, all species | 1959 to 2026 |
| Friendicoes, Civil Society magazine | About 5 a month | Dogs adopted, Defence Colony shelter | 2019 |
CUPA's 2019-20 report gives two numbers. A summary page says 217 total animal adoptions, while another page says 276 dogs were adopted in the last year. We show the summary figure and flag the gap.
Bought, adopted or passed on by friends
Mostly they buy, or get a dog through people they know. The Mars and Ipsos survey found 23% of Indian pet dogs came from pet shops and 17% from breeders. Only 6% came from shelters, so about 6.7 dogs were bought for every one adopted.
The survey did not publish India figures for the rest. The remaining 54% would include dogs from friends and family, street pickups and other routes, which are common in India.
The same survey found 69% of Indian pet owners were first-time owners, against 47% globally. Many new owners start with a pet shop puppy because it is the easiest route to find.
Mars Petcare global pet parent study with Ipsos, fieldwork March to April 2024, 1,000 Indian respondents, as reported in The Tribune (Dec 2024). Breeder share is reported for puppies. Other sources not published for India.
Show the numbers
| Label | % of dogs |
|---|---|
| Pet shops | 23% |
| Breeders | 17% |
| Shelter adoption | 6% |
| Other routes (not itemised) | 54% |
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Housing rules, cost and a lack of awareness push buyers away from shelters, the 2021 Mars index said. Our dog breed price index shows what those purchases cost.
What the big shelters rehome
Large shelters rehome a few hundred animals a year at most. CUPA's Second Chance Adoption Centre in Bengaluru, which houses over a hundred dogs at a time, recorded 217 adoptions in 2019-20 and 264 in 2020-21. Its reports say 20 to 25 dogs go to new homes each month.
Blue Cross of India in Chennai says it has facilitated 1,05,885 adoptions since 1959, across all species. Spread evenly, that is about 1,580 a year, though the true yearly pattern is not published.
Arrivals outpace adoptions. In 2019 Friendicoes' Defence Colony shelter in Delhi rehomed about 5 dogs a month while about 30 abandoned dogs came in.
Friendicoes: Civil Society magazine (Nov 2019). CUPA: annual reports 2019-20 and 2020-21, and Citizen Matters (July 2021) for owner-surrendered puppies. Ranges plotted at midpoint.
Show the numbers
| Label | dogs a month |
|---|---|
| Friendicoes, abandoned dogs arriving | about 30 |
| Friendicoes, dogs adopted | about 5 |
| CUPA, surrendered puppies (2021) | 20 to 30 |
| CUPA, dogs adopted | 20 to 25 |
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CUPA annual reports 2019-20 and 2020-21. The 2019-20 report also cites 276 dogs adopted in a separate section.
Show the numbers
| Label | adoptions |
|---|---|
| 2019-20 | 217 |
| 2020-21 | 264 |
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These shelters are among the best known in India and still rehome only hundreds a year. That fits the 6% survey share. Adoption is real but small next to the pet shop trade.
Dogs without homes, by Mars's estimate
Far more than shelters can place. The 2021 Mars State of Pet Homelessness Index estimated 6.2 crore street dogs and 91 lakh street cats in India. It put a further 88 lakh cats and dogs in shelters.
Mars estimated that 82% of dogs in India are street dogs. India scored 2.4 out of 10 on the index, last of the nine countries studied.
Most street dogs are not adoption candidates in the usual sense. Indian law protects community dogs where they live, and sterilisation, not rehoming, is the main policy tool.
| Measure | India | Global or comparison |
|---|---|---|
| Street dogs | 6.2 crore | Not applicable |
| Street cats | 91 lakh | Not applicable |
| Cats and dogs in shelters | 88 lakh | Not applicable |
| Share of dogs that are street dogs | 82% | Not applicable |
| Owners who have relinquished a pet | 50% | 28% globally |
| Respondents who abandoned a dog on the street | 34% | Not reported |
| Overall index score (out of 10) | 2.4 | Germany 8.6 |
Our street dog population report compares these estimates with the Livestock Census. The ABC sterilisation report covers what cities do about it.
Returns and surrenders
There is no published return rate for Indian adoptions. Shelters describe returns as rare. In 2019 a Friendicoes volunteer put failed adoptions at one or two in every hundred, and CUPA's report says returns are few.
Giving up a pet in general is common. In the 2021 Mars index, half of current and previous Indian owners said they had relinquished a pet, against 28% globally. About 34% said they had abandoned a dog on the street.
Surrenders spike after buying booms. In July 2021 CUPA told Citizen Matters it was seeing 20 to 30 puppies a month given up by new owners, usually aged six to eight months. Rescuers named Golden Retrievers, Pugs and Labradors among dogs picked up from the streets.
Mars Petcare State of Pet Homelessness Index, India findings, as reported by Business Today (Nov 2021).
Show the numbers
| Label | % of current and previous owners |
|---|---|
| India | 50% |
| Global | 28% |
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Breed dogs bought on impulse struggle in Indian conditions. Our guides to the Labrador, Golden Retriever and Pug cover heat, cost and health before you commit.
Are Indie dogs harder to get adopted?
Shelter workers say yes. In 2019 a Friendicoes volunteer said pedigreed dogs have an almost 100% chance of finding a home, while desi and older dogs take longer. No shelter we found publishes an Indie share of its adoptions.
Price works in the Indie's favour. Our Indian Pariah Dog guide puts adoption at free to about Rs 3,000, often with vaccination and sterilisation done. The median pet-quality puppy across 58 breeds in our guides costs Rs 30,000.
dogeats.in breed guides, price ranges compiled from breeder and marketplace listings, October 2026. Indie adoption fee range from our Indian Pariah Dog guide.
Show the numbers
| Label | Rs, midpoint of range |
|---|---|
| Siberian Husky | Rs 40,000 to 60,000 |
| Golden Retriever | Rs 25,000 to 45,000 |
| German Shepherd | Rs 20,000 to 35,000 |
| Shih Tzu | Rs 20,000 to 35,000 |
| Beagle | Rs 15,000 to 25,000 |
| Labrador Retriever | Rs 8,000 to 30,000 |
| Pug | Rs 8,000 to 20,000 |
| Indian Spitz | Rs 5,000 to 15,000 |
| Rajapalayam | Rs 5,000 to 15,000 |
| Mudhol Hound | Rs 3,000 to 10,000 |
| Indian Pariah Dog | Free to Rs 3,000 |
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| Dog | Route | Low (Rs) | High (Rs) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Siberian Husky | Purchase | 40,000 | 60,000 |
| Golden Retriever | Purchase | 25,000 | 45,000 |
| German Shepherd | Purchase | 20,000 | 35,000 |
| Shih Tzu | Purchase | 20,000 | 35,000 |
| Beagle | Purchase | 15,000 | 25,000 |
| Labrador Retriever | Purchase | 8,000 | 30,000 |
| Pug | Purchase | 8,000 | 20,000 |
| Indian Spitz | Purchase | 5,000 | 15,000 |
| Rajapalayam | Purchase | 5,000 | 15,000 |
| Mudhol Hound | Purchase | 3,000 | 10,000 |
| Indian Pariah Dog | Adoption | 0 | 3,000 |
Native breeds bought from breeders sit in between, at a median of Rs 10,000 for the eight other native breeds in our guides. Our Indie feeding guide covers the first weeks at home.
The adoption data India does not collect
Almost everything a policymaker would want is missing. We could not find a single government dataset on pet adoptions, returns or shelter populations. The figures in this report come from one survey, two shelter reports and press interviews.
Better data would not be hard to collect. State Animal Welfare Boards already register pet shops and breeders under the 2017 and 2018 rules. A matching register for shelter adoptions would show whether adoption is growing.
- Yearly dog adoptions, by city and shelter
- Share of adopted dogs that are Indies, puppies or seniors
- Return rates within six and twelve months
- Shelter intake, split into strays, surrenders and seizures
- Pet shop and breeder sales volumes, to set against adoptions
If you run a shelter and publish yearly figures, write to us and we will add them. Vaccination and sterilisation costs after adoption are in our vet costs report.
Frequently asked questions
How many dogs are adopted in India each year?
There is no official count. An insurance executive told PTI in 2024 that 6 lakh pets are adopted yearly, 63% of them dogs, but gave no source. The best survey figure is that 6% of Indian pet dogs came from shelters.
What percentage of pet dogs in India are adopted?
About 6%, according to a 2024 Mars and Ipsos survey of 1,000 Indian pet owners. In the same survey 23% of dogs came from pet shops and 17% from breeders.
Do more Indians buy or adopt dogs?
They buy more. The 2024 Mars survey found 40% of Indian pet dogs came from pet shops or breeders and 6% from shelters, or roughly 6.7 purchases for every shelter adoption.
How many dogs does CUPA rehome?
CUPA's Bengaluru adoption centre recorded 217 total animal adoptions in 2019-20 and 264 in 2020-21. Its reports say 20 to 25 dogs are adopted each month.
Are adopted dogs often returned in India?
No published return rate exists. Shelters describe returns as rare, with one Friendicoes volunteer estimating one or two failures per hundred adoptions in 2019. Giving up pets in general is common, with 50% of Indian owners telling Mars they had done so.
How much does it cost to adopt a dog in India?
Adopting an Indie usually costs nothing to about Rs 3,000, often covering vaccination or sterilisation. A pet-quality puppy across 58 breeds in our guides has a median price of Rs 30,000.
Are Indie dogs adopted less often than breed dogs?
Shelter workers say so. A Friendicoes volunteer said in 2019 that pedigreed dogs almost always find homes while desi and older dogs wait longer. No shelter we found publishes the split.
How many homeless dogs are there in India?
Mars's 2021 State of Pet Homelessness Index estimated 6.2 crore street dogs in India. It also counted 88 lakh cats and dogs in shelters. Both are modelled estimates, not a census.
Methodology and limitations
We searched government, AWBI, municipal and shelter publications for adoption figures and found none from government. Shelter figures come from CUPA's 2019-20 and 2020-21 annual reports, which we downloaded and read, and the Blue Cross of India adoption page.
National shares come from the 2024 Mars Petcare and Ipsos pet parent study, India sample of 1,000, as reported in a December 2024 release carried by The Tribune. Homelessness and relinquishment figures come from the 2021 Mars State of Pet Homelessness Index, as reported by ThePrint and Business Today.
Purchase prices are compiled by dogeats.in from breeder and marketplace listings for our breed guides, October 2026. The buy-to-adopt ratio is our calculation from the survey shares.
Sources
- Mars Petcare and Ipsos global pet parent study, India findings (December 2024), Pet shop, breeder and shelter shares for Indian pet dogs; first-time owners
- CUPA Annual Report 2020-21, 264 adoptions; 20 to 25 dogs adopted monthly
- CUPA Annual Report 2019-20, 217 adoptions; 276 dogs cited; returns are few
- Also consulted: Blue Cross of India, adoption and fostering page, Business Today (November 2021), ThePrint (November 2021), Civil Society magazine (November 2019), Citizen Matters (July 2021), Business Standard, PTI (May 2024), Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Dog Breeding and Marketing) Rules, 2017, dogeats.in breed guides, October 2026.
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