How to Use Shelter Animals Count (SAC) Dashboards for Reports
Starting in Fiscal Year 2027 (beginning in July 2026), Multnomah County Animal Services publishes official reports every three months (quarterly) instead of every month.
To see ongoing monthly data or comparisons, you can view it anytime using available Shelter Animals Count (SAC) dashboards. Their online dashboards show details about animals coming into our shelter (intakes) and where they go (outcomes), which you can filter by species, or compare to other time periods.
View the Shelter Animals Count (SAC) Dashboard for Multnomah County Animal Services
How You Can Use This Data
The public dashboards from Shelter Animals Count allow community members, researchers, and supporters to see ongoing intakes and outcomes.
By exploring the data, you can:
- Track Trends: Look at monthly intakes and outcomes to see which times of year our shelter handles the highest number of animals.
- Live-Release-Rates: You can use the available data to check the Live Release Rate (Live Outcomes / Total Outcomes).
- Compare Progress: Use past data to see how our current intakes and outcomes compare to previous years.
Shelter Animals Count Animal Welfare Glossary
Main Charts - Intakes & Outcomes
How to Filter and View the Data
- Filter by animal type - Use the round choice buttons (radio buttons) at the top of the chart to select or un-select specific animal groups.
- See Monthly Numbers: Hover your computer mouse over the points on the line graph to see the exact count of different intake and outcome types for that specific month.
- How Often Data Updates: Shelter Animals Count updates the dashboard on or around the 15th of each month with the data from the previous month.
How to Calculate the Live Release Rate
The Live Release Rate shows the percentage of animals that left the shelter alive (through return to owner, adoption, or transfer).
To calculate this rate for a specific time or group:
- Select the animals you want to include using the round selection buttons
- Set the time period (year)
- Look at the numbers at the top of the chart.
- Find the total number under the Live Outcomes column.
- Divide that number by the total in the Gross Outcomes column.
How to see monthly data - to view data from a specific month, hover the mouse over the set points on the line-chart timeline. You can see the counts for each intake and outcome type.
How often is the dashboard updated? - Shelter Animals Count updates the dashboard on or around the 15th of each month for the previous month’s data.
Comparing Different Dates
There are separate dashboards to compare Intakes and Outcomes from year to year, or month to month. You can look at these comparisons for all domestic animals, dogs and cats combined, dogs only, or cats only.
Intake Comparison
Time Periods Available: Use the choice buttons at the top of the chart to change your view. You can compare:
- Current year-to-date intake compared to prior year - All Domestic Animals
- Current year-to-date intake compared to prior year - Dogs and Cats (Including Puppies & Kittens)
- Current year-to-date intake compared to prior year - Dogs (including puppies)
- Current year-to-date intake compared to prior year - Cats (including kittens)
Outcomes Comparison
- Current year-to-date outcomes compared to prior year - All Domestic Animals
- Current year-to-date outcomes compared to prior year - Dogs & Cats (Including Puppies & Kittens)
- Current year-to-date outcomes compared to prior year - Dog (Including Puppies)
- Current year-to-date outcomes compared to prior year - Cats (Including Kittens)
Where are Transfers? - If you want to see data on transfers (animals moved from our facility to other shelters or rescue groups), Shelter Animals Count displays them at the bottom of the outcomes chart.
About Shelter Animals Count (SAC), a Program of The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®
Shelter Animals Count (SAC), a program of The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals® (ASPCA), is a nationally recognized initiative dedicated to collecting, analyzing, and sharing data on animal sheltering across the United States and Canada.
As a neutral, industry‑wide data collection entity, SAC provides valuable insights into shelter operations, trends in animal intake and outcomes, and the challenges faced by shelters and rescues. SAC collaborates with organizations of all sizes to encourage data submission, fostering a comprehensive understanding of the state of animal welfare.
This data‑driven approach supports evidence‑based decision‑making, helping to improve outcomes for animals, guide policy, and increases transparency within the animal welfare industry and in communities across the country.
The information contained herein was derived from data supplied by Shelter Animals Count, a program of The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®. Shelter Animals Count specifically disclaims all responsibility for any analysis, interpretations, conclusions and opinions contained in or derived from the information presented.
