Ranking · Updated October 2026
Shelter euthanasia by state: how many dogs are euthanized each year in the US, and where save rates are lowest
US shelters and rescues euthanized an estimated 320,000 dogs in 2025, down 6.8% from 343,000 in 2024, Shelter Animals Count reports. The first half of 2026 brought 136,000 more, 10.1% fewer than a year earlier. Alabama, Louisiana and North Carolina had the lowest dog save rates in Best Friends Animal Society's shelter data. Texas had the most dogs who did not leave shelters alive.
Key findings
- Shelter Animals Count estimates 320,000 dogs were euthanized in US shelters and rescues in 2025, about 877 a day.
- That was 6.8% fewer than the 343,000 dogs euthanized in 2024.
- In the first half of 2026, 136,000 dogs were euthanized, 10.1% fewer than the 151,000 in the first half of 2025.
- Alabama had the lowest dog save rate, 69.9%, among 42 states with dog data from at least half of their shelters.
- North Dakota had the highest dog save rate at 98.2%, followed by Delaware at 97.4% and Montana at 96.9%.
- Texas shelters recorded 51,869 dogs with a non-live outcome, 17.7% of the 293,394 counted across 50 states.
- Southern states took in 50.0% of dogs in the Best Friends data but accounted for 61.5% of non-live outcomes.
- Best Friends' state list adds up to about 395,000 dogs and cats that would need saving for every state to reach no-kill, led by Texas at 78,800.
- Government shelters had a 15% dog non-live outcome rate in 2025, against 3% for rescues, Shelter Animals Count says.
- Four states, Delaware, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont, were no-kill in 2025 under the Best Friends 90% benchmark.
How many dogs are euthanized each year in the US?
US shelters and rescues euthanized an estimated 320,000 dogs in 2025, according to Shelter Animals Count, the national shelter database run as a program of the ASPCA. That is about 877 dogs a day.
The 2025 total was 6.8% lower than the 343,000 dogs euthanized in 2024. Dogs made up 320,000 of the 597,000 dogs and cats euthanized in 2025, or 53.6%.
The decline continued into 2026. Shelter Animals Count's mid-year report, published in September 2026, counts 136,000 dogs euthanized from January to June 2026.
Counting cats, 266,000 dogs and cats were euthanized from January to June 2026, 3.3% fewer than a year earlier. Shelter Animals Count also reports 15,000 more dogs building up in care since January than in 2025.
Best Friends Pet Lifesaving Dashboard, downloaded October 11, 2026. Shelters with complete dog data; each shelter's latest 12 months. States where under half of shelters report dog data excluded.
Show the numbers
| Label | % |
|---|---|
| Alabama | 69.9% |
| Louisiana | 73.2% |
| North Carolina | 76.8% |
| Maryland | 78.0% |
| Oklahoma | 78.1% |
| New Mexico | 78.8% |
| Texas | 80.6% |
| Georgia | 81.1% |
| Tennessee | 81.4% |
| Kentucky | 82.4% |
| South Carolina | 82.7% |
| Michigan | 83.3% |
| Arkansas | 83.6% |
| Mississippi | 84.3% |
Embed this chart
Source: Shelter Animals Count, 2026 Mid-Year Data Summary. National estimates, rounded to the nearest thousand.
Show the numbers
| Label | dogs |
|---|---|
| Jan to Jun 2016 | 169,000 |
| Jan to Jun 2025 | 151,000 |
| Jan to Jun 2026 | 136,000 |
Embed this chart
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dogs euthanized | 320,000 | 343,000 | -6.8% |
| Dogs died or lost in care | 47,000 | 42,000 | +10.7% |
| Euthanasia as share of total dog intakes (%) | 9.1 | 9.6 | -0.5 points |
| Euthanasia as share of dog community outcomes (%) | 10.7 | 11.3 | -0.6 points |
| Non-live outcomes as share of total dog intakes (%) | 10.4 | 10.6 | -0.2 points |
| Dogs adopted | 2,000,000 | 2,000,000 | +0.8% |
| Dog transfers in | 717,000 | 697,000 | +3% |
In the first half of 2025 the count was 151,000, and in the first half of 2016 it was 169,000. The 2026 figure is 19.8% below 2016, by Shelter Animals Count's calculation.
The group says the 2026 drop comes mostly from fewer stray dogs arriving, not from better outcomes for those who do. Counting deaths and losses in care as well, the fall in non-live outcomes for dogs and cats was less than 1%.
Euthanasia equaled 9.1% of all dogs entering shelters and rescues in 2025, down from 9.6% in 2024. Another 47,000 dogs died or were lost in care, up from 42,000.
For the wider picture on intake and adoption, see our dog shelter and adoption statistics report.
Shelter euthanasia rates by state: where dog save rates are lowest and highest
Alabama had the lowest dog save rate in Best Friends Animal Society's shelter data, at 69.9%. Its shelters took in 48,308 dogs and 14,517 did not leave alive.
Louisiana was next at 73.2%, then North Carolina at 76.8%, Maryland at 78.0% and Oklahoma at 78.1%. All five fall well short of the 90% no-kill benchmark that Best Friends uses.
At the other end, North Dakota saved 98.2% of dogs, Delaware 97.4% and Montana 96.9%. Of the 42 states with dog data from at least half their shelters, 19 saved 90% or more.
Best Friends Pet Lifesaving Dashboard, downloaded October 11, 2026. States where under half of shelters report dog data excluded.
Show the numbers
| Label | % |
|---|---|
| North Dakota | 98.2% |
| Delaware | 97.4% |
| Montana | 96.9% |
| South Dakota | 96.7% |
| Idaho | 95.3% |
| Wyoming | 95.3% |
| Rhode Island | 94.6% |
| Utah | 93.8% |
| New Jersey | 93.7% |
| West Virginia | 93.5% |
| Maine | 93.4% |
| Iowa | 91.7% |
| Oregon | 91.6% |
| Nevada | 91.5% |
Embed this chart
| State | Dogs entering | Dogs saved | Non-live outcomes | Save rate (%) | Shelters with dog data | Shelters no-kill (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 48,308 | 33,791 | 14,517 | 69.9 | 46 of 82 | 40.2 |
| Alaska | 3,779 | 3,074 | 705 | 81.3 | 8 of 18 | 72.2 |
| Arizona | 53,436 | 48,890 | 4,546 | 91.5 | 40 of 55 | 76.4 |
| Arkansas | 25,441 | 21,262 | 4,179 | 83.6 | 67 of 100 | 67.0 |
| California | 250,737 | 217,138 | 33,599 | 86.6 | 154 of 228 | 56.1 |
| Colorado | 63,488 | 57,506 | 5,982 | 90.6 | 59 of 65 | 84.6 |
| Connecticut | 2,117 | 1,888 | 229 | 89.2 | 10 of 91 | 91.2 |
| Delaware | 1,411 | 1,374 | 37 | 97.4 | 3 of 4 | 100.0 |
| Florida | 117,434 | 103,028 | 14,406 | 87.7 | 96 of 134 | 64.9 |
| Georgia | 97,490 | 79,080 | 18,410 | 81.1 | 133 of 162 | 50.6 |
| Hawaii | 9,119 | 6,020 | 3,099 | 66.0 | 2 of 9 | 44.4 |
| Idaho | 14,175 | 13,514 | 661 | 95.3 | 23 of 29 | 100.0 |
| Illinois | 55,308 | 46,987 | 8,321 | 85.0 | 98 of 151 | 66.9 |
| Indiana | 33,410 | 29,541 | 3,869 | 88.4 | 68 of 114 | 69.3 |
| Iowa | 14,491 | 13,289 | 1,202 | 91.7 | 26 of 47 | 70.2 |
| Kansas | 27,665 | 24,406 | 3,259 | 88.2 | 48 of 69 | 76.8 |
| Kentucky | 47,424 | 39,054 | 8,370 | 82.4 | 72 of 101 | 67.3 |
| Louisiana | 28,326 | 20,740 | 7,586 | 73.2 | 42 of 69 | 56.5 |
| Maine | 4,718 | 4,406 | 312 | 93.4 | 18 of 26 | 96.2 |
| Maryland | 30,099 | 23,465 | 6,634 | 78.0 | 28 of 37 | 37.8 |
| Massachusetts | 9,897 | 8,949 | 948 | 90.4 | 31 of 54 | 88.9 |
| Michigan | 55,671 | 46,368 | 9,303 | 83.3 | 112 of 120 | 73.3 |
| Minnesota | 14,081 | 12,583 | 1,498 | 89.4 | 38 of 63 | 92.1 |
| Mississippi | 17,016 | 14,349 | 2,667 | 84.3 | 27 of 54 | 42.6 |
| Missouri | 51,021 | 46,352 | 4,669 | 90.8 | 135 of 156 | 81.4 |
| Montana | 9,767 | 9,467 | 300 | 96.9 | 22 of 26 | 96.2 |
| Nebraska | 11,637 | 10,867 | 770 | 93.4 | 15 of 31 | 71.0 |
| Nevada | 24,169 | 22,123 | 2,046 | 91.5 | 16 of 28 | 89.3 |
| New Hampshire | 1,860 | 1,733 | 127 | 93.2 | 6 of 15 | 100.0 |
| New Jersey | 16,176 | 15,151 | 1,025 | 93.7 | 48 of 69 | 84.1 |
| New Mexico | 31,758 | 25,026 | 6,732 | 78.8 | 34 of 47 | 55.3 |
| New York | 18,568 | 16,673 | 1,895 | 89.8 | 49 of 125 | 70.4 |
| North Carolina | 84,807 | 65,113 | 19,694 | 76.8 | 95 of 121 | 39.7 |
| North Dakota | 3,583 | 3,520 | 63 | 98.2 | 13 of 16 | 87.5 |
| Ohio | 53,233 | 47,421 | 5,812 | 89.1 | 89 of 142 | 64.1 |
| Oklahoma | 39,708 | 31,003 | 8,705 | 78.1 | 66 of 108 | 55.6 |
| Oregon | 16,238 | 14,878 | 1,360 | 91.6 | 21 of 39 | 76.9 |
| Pennsylvania | 32,943 | 29,513 | 3,430 | 89.6 | 37 of 79 | 70.9 |
| Rhode Island | 3,580 | 3,387 | 193 | 94.6 | 29 of 29 | 100.0 |
| South Carolina | 38,776 | 32,062 | 6,714 | 82.7 | 35 of 57 | 45.6 |
| South Dakota | 2,594 | 2,509 | 85 | 96.7 | 9 of 16 | 62.5 |
| Tennessee | 41,004 | 33,388 | 7,616 | 81.4 | 52 of 100 | 60.0 |
| Texas | 266,744 | 214,875 | 51,869 | 80.6 | 271 of 397 | 48.9 |
| Utah | 20,402 | 19,130 | 1,272 | 93.8 | 41 of 59 | 96.6 |
| Vermont | 578 | 518 | 60 | 89.6 | 4 of 11 | 100.0 |
| Virginia | 68,786 | 60,537 | 8,249 | 88.0 | 124 of 139 | 66.9 |
| Washington | 31,690 | 28,393 | 3,297 | 89.6 | 39 of 53 | 84.9 |
| West Virginia | 14,335 | 13,406 | 929 | 93.5 | 35 of 49 | 81.6 |
| Wisconsin | 20,547 | 18,697 | 1,850 | 91.0 | 35 of 68 | 91.2 |
| Wyoming | 6,270 | 5,977 | 293 | 95.3 | 23 of 28 | 100.0 |
The save rate is Best Friends' measure: dogs entering minus dogs with a non-live outcome, divided by dogs entering. Non-live outcomes include euthanasia, owner-requested euthanasia, deaths in care and animals lost in care.
Coverage varies. In Connecticut only 10 of 91 listed shelters had complete dog data, and in New York 49 of 125. We leave the eight states with under 50% coverage out of the rankings but keep them in the table.
Rates from small states move easily. Delaware's 97.4% rests on 1,411 dogs at three shelters, while Texas's 80.6% covers 266,744 dogs at 271 shelters.
Texas and California have the most shelter dogs who do not leave alive
Texas shelters recorded 51,869 dogs with a non-live outcome in the latest 12 months of Best Friends data. That is 17.7% of the 293,394 counted across all 50 states.
California was second with 33,599, then North Carolina with 19,694, Georgia with 18,410 and Alabama with 14,517. These five states account for 138,089 non-live outcomes, or 47.1% of the total.
Size explains part of this. Texas took in 266,744 dogs, the most of any state, and California took in 250,737 but saved a higher share, 86.6% against 80.6%.
Non-live outcomes are mostly euthanasia but include deaths and losses in care. Shelters with complete dog data only.
Show the numbers
| Label | dogs |
|---|---|
| Texas | 51,869 |
| California | 33,599 |
| North Carolina | 19,694 |
| Georgia | 18,410 |
| Alabama | 14,517 |
| Florida | 14,406 |
| Michigan | 9,303 |
| Oklahoma | 8,705 |
| Kentucky | 8,370 |
| Illinois | 8,321 |
| Virginia | 8,249 |
| Tennessee | 7,616 |
| Louisiana | 7,586 |
| New Mexico | 6,732 |
Embed this chart
We grouped states using the Census Bureau's South region, which runs from Texas and Oklahoma to Maryland and Delaware. Those 16 states recorded 180,582 of the 293,394 non-live outcomes.
Shelter Animals Count's 2026 mid-year report notes that the South sends arriving dogs on to other organizations at about twice the rate of everywhere else, 19% against roughly 10%. It says New World screwworm restrictions and flooding are now disrupting transport out of Texas.
Which states are furthest from no-kill?
Best Friends ranks states by how many more dogs and cats would need to be saved for every shelter to reach a 90% save rate. Texas topped the list for 2025 at about 78,800 animals, for the ninth year in a row.
California needed about 54,400 and North Carolina 36,900. Those three states make up 170,100, or 43.1%, of the roughly 395,000 animals in the state list.
Four states were already no-kill in 2025: Delaware, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. Idaho, Montana, North Dakota and Wyoming each needed fewer than 50 more animals saved.
Best Friends Animal Society state rankings, April 2, 2026. Dogs and cats combined, rounded by Best Friends. Advocacy group data.
Show the numbers
| Label | animals |
|---|---|
| Texas | 78,800 |
| California | 54,400 |
| North Carolina | 36,900 |
| Alabama | 21,300 |
| Florida | 20,000 |
| Georgia | 19,800 |
| Louisiana | 12,000 |
| New Mexico | 11,600 |
| Ohio | 11,100 |
| Kentucky | 10,800 |
| Illinois | 10,500 |
| Oklahoma | 9,700 |
| Tennessee | 9,700 |
| Michigan | 9,200 |
Embed this chart
| State | Additional dogs and cats to save |
|---|---|
| Idaho | under 50 |
| Montana | under 50 |
| North Dakota | under 50 |
| Wyoming | under 50 |
| Maine | 100 |
| Connecticut | 200 |
| Nebraska | 200 |
| Massachusetts | 400 |
| District of Columbia | 600 |
| West Virginia | 600 |
| Alaska | 700 |
| Oregon | 700 |
| South Dakota | 800 |
| Minnesota | 1,200 |
| Utah | 1,200 |
| Washington | 1,200 |
| Iowa | 1,300 |
| New Jersey | 1,600 |
| Missouri | 1,800 |
| Nevada | 1,900 |
| Colorado | 2,000 |
| Kansas | 2,000 |
| New York | 2,200 |
| Wisconsin | 2,400 |
| Arizona | 3,600 |
| Pennsylvania | 4,000 |
| Hawaii | 4,800 |
| Mississippi | 5,400 |
| Arkansas | 5,500 |
| Maryland | 7,200 |
| Virginia | 8,300 |
| Indiana | 8,400 |
| South Carolina | 8,900 |
| Michigan | 9,200 |
| Oklahoma | 9,700 |
| Tennessee | 9,700 |
| Illinois | 10,500 |
| Kentucky | 10,800 |
| Ohio | 11,100 |
| New Mexico | 11,600 |
| Louisiana | 12,000 |
| Georgia | 19,800 |
| Florida | 20,000 |
| Alabama | 21,300 |
| North Carolina | 36,900 |
| California | 54,400 |
| Texas | 78,800 |
| Delaware | 0 (no-kill) |
| New Hampshire | 0 (no-kill) |
| Rhode Island | 0 (no-kill) |
| Vermont | 0 (no-kill) |
This gap is what Best Friends calls the number of pets killed. It is non-live outcomes minus 10% of intake, so it is smaller than the total euthanized.
Best Friends says 68% of US shelters reached no-kill in 2025. In its October 2026 dashboard, Maryland had the lowest share of no-kill shelters at 37.8%, followed by North Carolina at 39.7% and Alabama at 40.2%.
Twenty-three states have issued no-kill proclamations since 2024, according to Best Friends. Its list includes Arizona, Georgia, Oklahoma, Virginia and Illinois.
Government shelters carry most of the euthanasia load
Government shelters accounted for 59% of all dog and cat non-live outcomes in 2025, Shelter Animals Count reports. Shelters with municipal contracts had 23%, private shelters 9% and rescues 9%.
The rate differs as much as the volume. 15% of dogs entering government shelters had a non-live outcome, against 11% at contract shelters, 5% at private shelters and 3% at rescues.
Government shelters also send the most animals onward, with 55% of all transfers out in 2025.
Share of dog intakes ending in euthanasia, death or loss in care. Source: Shelter Animals Count 2025 Annual Data Report.
Show the numbers
| Label | % |
|---|---|
| Government shelters | 15% |
| Shelters with contract | 11% |
| Private shelters | 5% |
| Rescues | 3% |
Embed this chart
| Organization type | Share of all dog and cat non-live outcomes (%) | Dog non-live rate (%) | Cat non-live rate (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Government shelters | 59 | 15 | 17 |
| Shelters with contract | 23 | 11 | 12 |
| Private shelters | 9 | 5 | 6 |
| Rescues | 9 | 3 | 5 |
Among dogs, 90% of non-live outcomes in 2025 were shelter euthanasia and 10% were deaths or losses in care. Adults made up 67% of dog non-live outcomes, puppies 19% and seniors 14%.
Medium dogs accounted for 43% of dog non-live outcomes, large dogs 35% and small dogs 22%. Large dogs had the highest non-live rate of any size, at 12%.
Ten years of shelter dog outcomes
The share of dogs leaving shelters through a non-live outcome fell from 10.4% in 2016 to a low of 5.8% in 2020. It has since climbed back to 10.4% in 2025.
Adoption rates moved the other way. 56.6% of dogs entering shelters and rescues were adopted in 2025, the highest share in the 10-year series, up from 52.7% in 2016.
Both trends can hold at once because intake has changed. Shelter Animals Count says dog intakes dropped sharply during the pandemic and have stayed stable since.
| Year | Non-live outcomes (% of total dog intakes) | Adoptions (% of total dog intakes) |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 10.4 | 52.7 |
| 2017 | 9.3 | 52.8 |
| 2018 | 8.9 | 53.1 |
| 2019 | 8.0 | 53.3 |
| 2020 | 5.8 | 54.3 |
| 2021 | 6.3 | 53.1 |
| 2022 | 8.4 | 54.0 |
| 2023 | 10.3 | 54.9 |
| 2024 | 10.6 | 55.4 |
| 2025 | 10.4 | 56.6 |
Adoptions as a share of total dog intakes, including transfers in.
Show the numbers
| Label | % |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 52.7% |
| 2017 | 52.8% |
| 2018 | 53.1% |
| 2019 | 53.3% |
| 2020 | 54.3% |
| 2021 | 53.1% |
| 2022 | 54.0% |
| 2023 | 54.9% |
| 2024 | 55.4% |
| 2025 | 56.6% |
Embed this chart
The 2016 and 2025 non-live rates are the same, 10.4%. The 2024 rate, 10.6%, was the highest of the decade.
Shelter Animals Count projects 3.79 million dogs will enter sheltering organizations across all of 2026. In the first half, dog intakes were 1.90 million, up 0.6% from 1.88 million a year earlier.
Why euthanasia counts differ by source
Shelter Animals Count and Best Friends use different scopes and definitions, so their numbers do not match. Neither is wrong; they measure different things.
Shelter Animals Count estimates totals for the 13,471 known shelters and rescues in its 2025 report, using reported data and a machine-learning model. It counts every euthanasia, which gives the 320,000 dog figure.
Best Friends covers nearly 4,000 brick-and-mortar shelters and excludes most rescues. Its national dog save rate for 2025 was 82.2%, and it says dogs killed fell 8.5%, which it equates to nearly 20,000 more dogs leaving alive.
| Source | What it counts | Coverage | Key 2025 dog figure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shelter Animals Count | All shelter euthanasia | Shelters and rescues, reported plus modeled | 320,000 dogs euthanized |
| Shelter Animals Count | Euthanasia plus died or lost in care | Shelters and rescues | 10.4% non-live rate |
| Best Friends Animal Society | Save rate: dogs entering minus non-live, over dogs entering | About 4,000 brick-and-mortar shelters | 82.2% dog save rate |
| Best Friends Animal Society | Pets killed: non-live outcomes beyond 10% of intake | About 4,000 brick-and-mortar shelters | Down 8.5% vs 2024 |
| ASPCA | Republishes Shelter Animals Count estimates | Shelters and rescues | Euthanasia rate 8%, down from 10% in 2019 (dogs and cats) |
Our state figures come from Best Friends' public shelter file, downloaded October 11, 2026. Across 50 states it shows 1,935,815 dogs entering and 1,642,421 saved, an 84.8% save rate.
That is higher than Best Friends' own 82.2% national figure because our total leaves out shelters with estimated or incomplete dog data. Each shelter's figures also cover its latest 12 months, which mostly run from 2025 into 2026.
Shelter Animals Count also publishes a state dashboard, but it says state-level data carry more uncertainty and are for general information only. We did not use it for rankings because its data could not be downloaded.
Frequently asked questions
How many dogs are euthanized each year in the US?
Shelter Animals Count estimates 320,000 dogs were euthanized in US shelters and rescues in 2025, down 6.8% from 343,000 in 2024. That is about 877 a day. In January to June 2026, 136,000 dogs were euthanized.
Which state euthanizes the most dogs?
Texas, in Best Friends' shelter data, which counts all non-live outcomes. Its shelters recorded 51,869 dogs with a non-live outcome in the latest Best Friends data, 17.7% of the national count. California was second with 33,599 and North Carolina third with 19,694.
Which state has the lowest shelter dog save rate?
Alabama, at 69.9%, among states where at least half of shelters report dog data. Louisiana was next at 73.2% and North Carolina at 76.8%. The figures come from Best Friends' shelter data downloaded in October 2026.
Which states are no-kill?
Under Best Friends' 90% save rate benchmark, Delaware, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont were no-kill across every shelter in 2025. Idaho, Montana, North Dakota and Wyoming each needed fewer than 50 more animals saved.
Is shelter euthanasia going down?
Yes for dogs in the latest data. Euthanasia fell 6.8% from 2024 to 2025, and first-half 2026 euthanasia was 10.1% below the first half of 2025. Shelter Animals Count says the 2026 drop comes mostly from fewer stray dogs arriving.
What percentage of shelter dogs are euthanized?
About 9.1% of all dogs entering US shelters and rescues were euthanized in 2025, Shelter Animals Count reports. Counting deaths and losses in care, 10.4% of dogs had a non-live outcome.
What does no-kill mean?
Best Friends Animal Society defines a no-kill shelter as one that saves at least 90% of the dogs and cats that enter. The 10% allowance covers euthanasia that Best Friends presumes reflects humane decisions.
Why do Shelter Animals Count and Best Friends report different numbers?
They cover different organizations and use different definitions. Shelter Animals Count models all shelters and rescues and counts every euthanasia. Best Friends covers about 4,000 brick-and-mortar shelters and reports save rates and a no-kill gap.
Methodology and limitations
National counts come from Shelter Animals Count's 2025 Annual Data Report and its 2026 Mid-Year Data Summary, both opened October 11, 2026. Shelter Animals Count rounds most national figures to the nearest thousand and combines reported data with modeled estimates.
State figures come from the shelter-level file behind Best Friends Animal Society's Pet Lifesaving Dashboard, downloaded October 11, 2026 (dataset created October 10, 2026). We summed dogs entering and dogs saved for every shelter with complete dog data, then computed non-live outcomes and save rates per state.
Each shelter's figures cover its most recent 12 months of data. Of the 2,592 shelters with complete dog data, 1,089 report calendar 2025, 1,461 a 12-month window ending in 2026 and 42 a window ending in late 2025. Shelters Best Friends estimates, 774 in all, carry no dog counts in the file and are excluded.
We rank only the 42 states where at least half of listed shelters had complete dog data. The Census Bureau's South region defines the Southern states. The no-kill gap by state is Best Friends' published April 2, 2026 ranking, used as published.
Sources
- Shelter Animals Count, 2025 Annual Data Report, Dogs euthanized 2025 and 2024, rates, shelter types, 10-year series
- Shelter Animals Count, 2026 Mid-Year Data Summary (September 2026), Dogs euthanized January to June 2016, 2025 and 2026
- Best Friends Animal Society, Pet Lifesaving Dashboard (advocacy group data), Shelter-level dog intake and save data by state
- Also consulted: Shelter Animals Count, 2025 Annual Data Report PDF, Best Friends Animal Society, state rankings press release, April 2, 2026, Best Friends Animal Society, 2025 national data release, April 15, 2026, Best Friends Animal Society, dashboard methodology, ASPCA, US animal shelter statistics, Shelter Animals Count, state-level dashboard.
Cite, embed and download
This report, its data and its images are free to reuse under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. Credit dogeats.in with a link to this page. Every chart has its own embed code, every table has a CSV and an image download, and the images below are ready for social posts, slides and articles.
Cite this report
Link to this report
Every chart and table as an image
