Have you ever wondered where most people get their dog from? In the US, roughly 2 million dogs are adopted from shelter and rescue every year according to the ASPCA. A survey from the American Veterinary Medical Association in 2017-2018 found that 28 percent of dogs are adopted, 22 percent come from a breeder, and 26 percent from family or friends.
These decisions may be affected by demographic factors like income. Research published last year in Animals (Kremer and Neal, 2024) surveyed dog-owning Americans to find out where they got their dog from, and if they had lost a dog, what happened. The results show that as well as the official channels for obtaining dogs, networks of friends and family also play a big role. The importance of those networks is greatest for those with lower household incomes.
The survey focused on seven geographical areas of the US where there are shelters that participate in a project called Humane Animal Support Services. The locations chosen were Cabot, Arkansas; Dallas, Texas; metro Detroit, Michigan; Fresno, California; New Hampshire; Palm Valley, Texas; and Washington, DC. People were recruited via email to complete the survey on the web, and data was collected on more than 6,000 dogs.
The results show that the proportion of people who acquire a dog from friends and family steadily increases as income levels drop, making up 19 percent of people who earn more than $150K, and 44 percent of people whose annual income is <$15K.
For people who earn $75K or more, most buy a dog, including purchases from a breeder, from a pet store, or via online ads such as on Craigslist and Facebook. For these higher-income groups, the second most common source of a dog is shelter or rescue.
In the income bracket of $50K to $75K, 29 percent purchased their dog, 28 percent acquired the dog from friends and family, and 26 percent adopted it from a shelter or rescue.
But there are other sources. Some people said they had found or rescued their dog, ranging from 7 percent of people earning more than $150K to 13 percent of those earning less than $15K. Some people had acquired their pet from a previous pet, meaning that their dog had puppies. This number ranged from 3 percent of those earning more than $150K to 7 percent of those earning less than $15K.
When the researchers looked at people who no longer had a dog, as you would expect the most common reasons were that the dog died or was euthanized. Also, a sizeable minority of people had given a dog away to family or friends, ranging from 18 to 26 percent of those who no longer had their dog; and between 13 percent and 21 percent said their dog had run away. Those in the lowest income brackets are more likely to have given a dog away or had a dog run away.
One reason for more dogs running away from lower-income households could simply be that people cannot afford to pay for good fencing. Community resources to help people to build fences would help to keep dogs in their homes. This isn’t just an issue for the person who loses their dog. Previous research in Detroit has found that the most common situation in which people are bitten by a dog in that city is when a neighbour’s dog is running loose or escapes their yard (Reese and Vertalka, 2020).
Adopting dogs from shelters and rescues is three times more likely among those with higher incomes compared to the lowest income group. The researchers suggest that those with a lower income may need to rely on informal networks much more and hence are more likely to adopt or rehome within their existing networks.
The scientists write,
“Another way to frame this finding is that animal shelters, meant to serve as a safety need for pets without a caregiver, end up serving more often people who otherwise have more resources (judging based on income) both for acquiring and giving up pets, while people from lower-income groups rely more frequently on their communities.”
The researchers suggest that shelters could direct more resources to keep pets in homes by providing low-cost spay or neuter, vaccinations, veterinary care, and behavioral support. They also say that shelters and rescues could run campaigns aimed at convincing people who would otherwise buy a dog to get a shelter pet instead. Of course, shelters have limited resources and must decide the best ways to support their community with the resources they have. Many already offer a low-cost spay or neuter program, but it’s less common to hear of assistance with fencing.
Previous research on why people surrender large dogs to shelters in Washington, DC, and in New York City found that people often asked family and friends first, but there wasn’t an effect of income (Weiss and colleagues 2014). Because this new study focused on specific locations, the results are not representative of the nation as a whole. But overall, the researchers say that their results are in line with the data from the American Veterinary Medical Association, cited above.
The paper doesn’t separate the purchase source to see how many puppies came from a responsible breeder versus a pet store (which means they likely came from a puppy mill). The Humane Society of the US estimates that there are 10,000 puppy mills in the US, most unlicensed. It would be interesting to know if demographics relate to purchasing decisions.
If you’re getting a puppy, take care to avoid puppy mills and scams. Responsible breeders and reputable shelters or rescues are great sources for pets and will take the pet back if things go wrong. Based on this study, informal networks of family and friends are also a common source of pets—something that it would be useful to know more about.
