San Francisco Animal Care & Control Dog Live Release Rate Projected to Drop to 86% Amid Persistent Overcrowding

San Francisco, CA – San Francisco Animal Care & Control (SFACC), the city's sole open-admission animal shelter, is grappling with severe dog overcrowding, leading to a projected decrease in its live release rate for canines. The situation was recently highlighted by journalist Susan Dyer Reynolds, who tweeted, "So many great dogs up for adoption at ⁦@SFACC⁩ 👇," drawing attention to the urgent need for adoptions. This influx of animals is pushing the shelter's capacity and impacting its ability to rehome dogs.

SFACC's live release rate for dogs, which represents animals leaving the shelter alive, dropped to 88% in the 2023-2024 fiscal year, the lowest in 12 years. Projections for the current 2024-2025 fiscal year indicate a further decline to 86%. This trend reflects a broader crisis in California, where shelters are struggling with an overwhelming number of incoming animals and a reduced demand for adoptions.

The surge in shelter populations is largely attributed to a confluence of factors, including the aftermath of "pandemic pets" being surrendered as owners return to in-person work or face financial hardship. Rising costs of pet ownership, a shortage of veterinary services which has limited spay/neuter surgeries, and a lack of pet-friendly housing also contribute significantly to the problem. These issues create a bottleneck, with more animals entering the system and fewer finding homes.

As an open-admission facility, SFACC is legally obligated to accept all animals, regardless of temperament, medical condition, or species. This mandate makes them particularly vulnerable to overcrowding. Due to current capacity constraints, SFACC has been forced to defer non-emergency dog intakes, emphasizing the critical need for community support through adoption.

Adding to the challenge, the San Francisco SPCA, a private shelter that historically assisted SFACC by taking in dogs, has significantly reduced its intake from the city's public shelter. The SF SPCA has shifted its focus to rescuing a higher volume of dogs from Central Valley shelters, where they state the need is greater, further straining SFACC's resources. In 2024, the SF SPCA accepted only 158 dogs from SFACC, a stark contrast to over 600 dogs in 2013.

SFACC Executive Director Virginia Donohue urges the public to consider adoption as a primary solution. "As a city, we need more adoptions and less breeding to make sure that all of our dogs have families to love them," Donohue stated. The shelter also encourages donations to the non-profit Friends of SF Animal Care and Control to support their efforts in providing care and finding homes for these vulnerable animals.