Large dogs still face longer waits for adoption, Hill’s says

Large dogs remain stuck in the shelter system longer than smaller dogs, and a new Hill’s Pet Nutrition report suggests the adoption gap is being driven by practical barriers more than a lack of goodwill. The company’s 2026 State of Shelter Pet Adoption Report: Spotlight on Large Dogs found that while many Americans say they’re open to shelter adoption, hesitation rises when the conversation turns to larger dogs, especially around affordability, handling, and housing fit. (hillspet.com)

The report lands against a still-strained shelter environment. Shelter Animals Count’s 2025 year-end data show median days to adoption improved modestly overall from 2024 to 2025, but large dogs still waited the longest: 17 days, compared with 14 for medium dogs and 10 for small dogs. Hill’s report notes that large dogs represented 26% of dog intakes, but only 22% of adoptions, reinforcing the idea that even when intake pressure eases, outcome bottlenecks for larger dogs continue to tie up capacity. (shelteranimalscount.org)

Hill’s says its findings are based on a November 10-24, 2025, online survey of 2,000 U.S. adults, combined with national shelter data. According to the report, 63% of Americans say they’d be likely to adopt from a shelter in the future, and among people considered potential adopters, 35% say they’d be likely to adopt a large dog. Still, key deterrents stand out: among respondents unlikely to adopt a large dog, 43% cited food costs, 41% physical ability to manage a large dog, 36% limited living space, and 36% veterinary care costs. (theaawa.org)

The housing piece appears especially important. Best Friends Animal Society says breed, weight, and size restrictions, along with recurring pet rent and nonrefundable fees, materially shrink housing options for people with dogs. The group cites research suggesting one-third of residents with pets would adopt another animal if rental restrictions were lifted. That aligns with local reporting from shelters around the country that large dogs are often the hardest placements in tight housing markets, even when general adoption demand holds up. (bestfriends.org)

Industry voices in the Hill’s report are also pushing for operational changes, not just better marketing. The report spotlights Humane World for Animals’ Adopters Welcome program, which is designed to help shelters reduce friction in the adoption process, and includes a case study from MSPCA-Angell. In the report, Mike Keiley, vice president of the Animal Protection Division at MSPCA-Angell, argues that the “large dog overpopulation crisis” is driven more by outcomes than intake and says lengthy adoption processes can no longer keep pace with the need. Hill’s also points to fee-waived events and stronger community outreach as tools that may convert interest into placements. (theaawa.org)

Why it matters: For veterinarians, this is a welfare story with direct implications for practice operations, client education, and community partnerships. If cost uncertainty and low confidence are holding back large-dog adoption, clinics can help by making first-year care expectations more concrete, discussing nutrition and preventive care in plain language, offering behavior and training guidance early, and partnering with shelters on post-adoption support. For pet parents considering a larger dog, the perceived risk may be as important as the actual medical or behavioral profile, which means veterinary teams can play a meaningful role in reducing failed adoptions before they happen. (theaawa.org)

There’s also a shelter-capacity angle. Longer stays for large dogs mean more kennel days, more stress on staff, more behavior deterioration risk, and fewer open runs for incoming animals. Even modest reductions in time-to-adoption could have outsized operational effects. That helps explain why the report’s recommendations extend beyond adoption promotion to process redesign, financial support, and cross-sector collaboration involving shelters, housing advocates, and veterinary providers. This is partly an inference from the shelter length-of-stay data and the barriers identified in the report, but it’s a reasonable one. (theaawa.org)

What to watch: The next signal will be whether shelters and veterinary partners can translate this research into measurable changes, especially through cost transparency, faster adoption workflows, and structured post-adoption support for large-dog placements over the next year. (theaawa.org)