Long Beach Animal Shelter
The Before, During, and After of an Animal’s Stay
Trusting Leopard
Cameron Kull, Kimmy Liu, and Xiaotong (Katherine) Zhang
Cameron Kull, Kimmy Liu, and Xiaotong (Katherine) Zhang
2026-03-05
Question 1
- How long are animals staying in shelter care, and does the condition they arrive in have an impact on that duration of time?
- Does their previous living context, being a stray, wild or living with an owner, have an impact on this as well?
| variable | description |
|---|---|
| Intake Condition | The state the animal arrived at the shelter in |
| Intake Type | Stray, owner surrender, or wildlife |
| Length of Stay | The number of days the animal was in the shelter |
Question 2
- How does the distribution of shelter outcomes vary by animal species?
- Have shelter outcomes changed over time? In particular, how have adoption rates evolved over time across species?
| variable | description |
|---|---|
| Animal Type | Species name of the animal (cat, dog, bird) |
| Outcome Type | The result the animal experienced upon leaving the shelter |
| Year | The year that the animal left the shelter |
| Proportion | The proportion of the specified outcome type to all outcome types in a given year |
Our Key Takeaways
- The majority of animals have short shelter stays, but those with behavioral issues tend to stay longer
- Shelter adoptions have gone up over the years