OC Animal Care reports our statistics on our website because we feel that transparency is an important part of being a public agency. In addition, we want our communities to understand the realities that we face as a shelter and the impact that our citizens can have on increasing adoptions and decreasing euthanasia. OC Animal Care is an "open admission" shelter for 14 cities and the unincorporated areas of Orange County. "Open admission" means that we will accept animals from the cities that we serve that are aggressive, sick, underage or injured.
OC Animal Care's priority is to support people and pets in our community and connect them with resources. Although we have accomplished a great deal in recent years, we continue to strive to enhance our programs and services. There is still a tremendous amount of work for us to do for the animals and we cannot do it alone. We rely heavily on our adoption partners, foster caretakers and volunteers. In addition, we rely on you, the community to help us achieve our goals. OC Animal Care encourages you to spay/neuter your pets, purchase a pet license, visit the shelter to adopt, encourage others to opt to adopt rather than shop for their next furry friend, and sign up to be a foster parent or volunteer.
How to Read Shelter Statistics
In our commitment to transparency, OC Animal Care posts quarterly statistics – a practice not universally observed in all shelters. For a clearer perspective on our data, it’s important to note that quarterly statistics stand alone as a snapshot or progress report and reflect data available at that time. These statistics are obtained from a live database, which is utilized and updated daily. As a result, there may contain small changes within each of the quarterly statistics over time.
Annual statistics consider adjustments made throughout the year, ensuring a balanced and comprehensive overview. The posted statistic that incorporates the entire calendar year is thoroughly audited and considered the most accurate and most commonly utilized for discussion at OC Animal Care.
2025 Statistics:
2024 Statistics:
*In 2024, an error was discovered during the annual audit. The error did not impact the overall combined save rate. The 2nd Quarter and 3rd Quarter links have been updated for accuracy. No other links in 2024 were impacted.
2023 Statistics:
In the 2023 2nd and 3rd Quarter Statistics, an additional line item has been added for animals in foster care. Animals in foster care are excluded from the intake or live release numbers as foster outcomes are not final disposition – meaning they are not the final placement for the animal.
2022 Statistics:
2021 Statistics:
2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015
Click here for previous years' statistics.
