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The animal welfare nonprofit sector has made significant progress toward ending euthanasia as a means to control the pet population and lowering the number of animals entering shelters each year. After decades of progress, alarms are sounding...the fate of large dogs in American shelters is in crisis. Recent data from Shelter Animals Count, which tracks animal shelter data across the country, noted that dog adoptions were down in 2023 compared to 2022, meaning fewer dogs were adopted nationwide in 2023. The trend is looking bleak for 2024.
There are logical reasons for dog impoundment being up and adoption down, but the story is more complex. It appears that larger dogs are at greater risk compared to smaller dogs. This may be because sometimes people can't bring their animals, especially larger dogs, when transitioning to new housing. Apartment leases often restrict the breed or size of dogs accepted or charge unaffordable monthly surcharges. Some insurance companies deny homeowners insurance to owners with certain breeds or sizes of dogs.
The larger dog crisis has been brewing for over a decade: tiny dogs have taken over the country. Americans’ dog preferences have changed!
Look at the AKC rankings – in the last decade, the French Bulldog reached the top 10 for the first time in more than 100 years. They join the beagle and Yorkshire terrier—the 5th and 6th most popular.
In the early 2000s, Americans owned mainly medium to large-sized dogs. But ever since then, the number of big and medium-sized dogs snuggling up with us has declined by 1.5 million, while the small dog population has grown by almost 15 million.
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