Large dogs still face the longest shelter waits, Hill’s finds

Large dogs continue to face the longest waits for adoption in U.S. shelters, and a new Hill’s Pet Nutrition report argues that the bottleneck is as much about confidence and logistics as it is about demand. The company’s 2026 State of Shelter Pet Adoption Report, its fourth annual shelter adoption study and first focused specifically on large dogs, combines a survey of 2,000 U.S. adults with national shelter data to examine why big dogs remain harder to place. Hill’s says 35% of Americans are likely to adopt a large dog and 19% are neutral, but those numbers haven’t translated into faster placements. (hillspet.com)

The backdrop is a shelter system still under strain. According to the Hill’s report, citing animal-level data from Shelter Animals Count, 2.8 million dogs entered U.S. shelters in 2025. Large dogs represented 26% of community intakes, yet posted the longest median lengths of stay. Shelter Animals Count’s 2025 annual report similarly showed longer median days-to-adoption for large dogs than for small dogs across shelter types, including 23 days for large dogs versus 11 days for small dogs in government shelters. (hillspet.com)

Hill’s findings suggest the issue isn’t simple dislike of large dogs. Most Americans still hold broadly positive views of them, and likely adopters are especially favorable. The sharper dividing line is self-efficacy: 89% of respondents likely to adopt a large dog said they feel confident handling and caring for one, compared with 33% of those unlikely to adopt. The report also found a gap in trust that shelters provide enough information to determine whether a large dog fits a household’s lifestyle, with 78% of likely adopters agreeing versus 40% of unlikely adopters. (hillspet.com)

Cost remains close behind confidence. In Hill’s press materials, the top factors most likely to encourage large-dog adoption were lower adoption fees, cited by 34% of respondents, free or discounted training, cited by 31%, and financial assistance for initial costs, also cited by 31%. That aligns with Hill’s broader 2025 shelter report, which found veterinary care costs directly influence adoption decisions for 64% of Americans, and with 2024 findings that veterinary care was viewed as the most expensive part of pet parenting by 84% of respondents. (prnewswire.com)

Housing is another structural barrier, especially for younger adults. Vet Candy’s coverage highlighted that Gen Z and Millennials are more likely to want a large dog, but often run into rental and housing limitations. Hill’s 2025 report found younger adults were more likely than older groups to face pet deposits, monthly pet fees, size limits, and weight restrictions, and nearly 1 in 4 respondents who preferred small or medium dogs over large breeds said their housing situation would not allow a large dog. That helps explain why interest can coexist with delayed or forgone adoption. (myvetcandy.com)

Industry reaction has framed the report as a practical tool for shelters and their partners. Jim Tedford, president and CEO of The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement, said the challenges facing large dogs are national in scope and that the report can help guide programs and conversations across shelters. In the report itself, Tedford also noted that big dogs with behavioral challenges can languish in care and that behavior problems may worsen in the shelter environment, raising the stakes for timely placement and support. Meghan Lehman, senior manager of brand engagement for shelters at Hill’s, said the goal is to quantify the challenges affecting large-dog adoption so the animal welfare community can respond more effectively. (hillspet.com)

Why it matters: For veterinary teams, this is a reminder that adoption friction often shows up as a medical, behavioral, and financial counseling issue long before it becomes a shelter census issue. If potential pet parents are worried about affordability, training, and whether they can successfully manage a large dog, veterinary professionals are well positioned to reduce that uncertainty. Transparent first-year care estimates, preventive care planning, realistic behavior counseling, early post-adoption visits, and referral pathways for training or low-cost support could all help convert “maybe” adopters into successful placements. Inference: because confidence and cost ranked so highly in Hill’s data, clinics that make those two areas easier to navigate may have outsized influence on large-dog adoption outcomes. (prnewswire.com)

What to watch: The next step is whether shelters, veterinary practices, and industry partners turn these findings into concrete adoption support models, especially fee assistance, training access, and stronger post-adoption care pathways for large dogs. If those programs expand in 2026, they’ll offer an early test of whether the large-dog adoption gap is truly as modifiable as the report suggests. (prnewswire.com)