Best Friends Animal Society Shares Top Reasons Why Pets Are Surrendered: Spoiler Alert 80% Have Nothing to Do with the Pet

New Data Shows Housing and Caretaker Health Rank Among the Leading Causes for Relinquishing Pets to Shelters
Photo credit: Best Friends Animal Society
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New data from national nonprofit, Best Friends Animal Society, explores insights on some of the more common reasons why pets get surrendered to animal shelters.  

While specific reasoning varies slightly when looking at cats versus dogs, 80% of owner surrenders relate back to the individual or family's current situation rather than the pet itself. Insights like these help Best Friends Animal Society better determine ways to keep pets with their people, an essential step toward no-kill*, meaning no healthy or treatable pet is killed in shelters.

According to Best Friends Animal Society’s data, below are the top five reasons owners cited for why they needed to surrender their pets in 2025:

  • Housing was listed as the top reason for both dog and cat surrenders at 16.0%, highlighting the importance of advocating for pet-friendly housing and removing housing barriers enforced by breed specific legislation. 
  • The health or death of the pet’s caretaker or family was the reason 12.3% of dogs and cats were surrendered to an animal shelters.  Best Friends Animal Society encourages individuals to plan ahead by designating a caregiver for pets should something happen. Should an owner or family member be unable to care for a pet due to their health, the national nonprofit shares guidance on the heartbreaking, but necessary steps to rehome a pet outside of a shelter environment. 
  • Households having too many animals was the reason behind 12.1% of surrenders and this figure primarily affects cats. Best Friends Animal Society opposes housing rules that strictly limit the number of pets a household can have and care for and recommends spaying and neutering dogs and cats to help prevent unwanted litters and for the health of the pets.
  • Pet(s) not being the right fit for the home was listed for 9.1% of surrenders. Sometimes, dogs and cats find themselves back in an animal shelter or rescue group due to no fault of their own.  Shelter staff can often help determine if a pet is the right lifestyle fit, and fostering can be a great way to try out pet ownership. If a dog or cat does get returned to a shelter, it can help staff better determine the type of home that would be the best fit for everyone.
  • Financial reasons were cited for 7.6% of surrenders. Whether housing, food, or veterinary costs are the issue, online and in-person resources exist to help keep pets and their people together. Many animal shelters have pet food pantries and the ability to directly connect individuals with low-cost, or even free, medical care for their pets.  

"A hard time doesn't have to mean a pet ends up in the shelter," said Julie Castle, CEO, Best Friends Animal Society. "Supporting the pets and their people in our communities means taking the time to understand what an individual or family is going through and connecting them with the resources to keep their pet at home. Sometimes that's as simple as a bag of pet food, a few nights of temporary housing, or a little training guidance — small things that make a huge difference for a pet and the people who love them."

At the halfway point in 2026, Best Friends Animal Society’s data shows a slight increase in owner surrenders compared to the same time last year**. The organization will continue monitoring this pattern throughout the year.

To learn more, visit bestfriends.org.  

*No-kill is defined by a 90% or greater save rate for animals entering a shelter and is a meaningful and common-sense benchmark for measuring lifesaving progress. Typically, the number of pets who are suffering from irreparable medical or behavioral issues that compromise their quality of life and prevent them from being rehomed is not more than 10% of all dogs and cats entering shelters. For any community to be no-kill, all stakeholders in that community must work together to achieve and sustain that common goal while prioritizing community safety and good quality of life for pets as guiding no-kill principles. This means cooperation among animal shelters, animal rescue groups, government agencies, community members and other stakeholders, all committed to best practices and protocols.

**Based on a sample of 814 shelters that reported Jan-June 2026 and Jan-June 2025 monthly data.

 

About Best Friends Animal Society

Best Friends Animal Society is a leading animal welfare organization dedicated to saving the lives of dogs and cats in America's shelters and making the entire country no-kill. Founded in 1984, Best Friends runs lifesaving facilities and programs nationwide in partnership with more than 6,000 shelters and rescue organizations. From our headquarters in Kanab, Utah, we also operate the nation's largest no-kill animal sanctuary — a destination that brings our mission to life for thousands of visitors each year. We maintain the most comprehensive animal sheltering data in the country and make it accessible to the public — empowering communities with critical insights into the needs of their local shelters and how they can help. We believe every dog and cat deserves a home. And we believe that, by working together, we can Save Them All®.