New report highlights why large dogs wait longer for adoption

Large dogs are still getting stuck in the shelter system longer than smaller dogs, and a new Hill’s Pet Nutrition report tries to explain why. The company’s 2026 State of Shelter Pet Adoption Report, its first edition focused on a single population, argues that the large-dog adoption gap is being driven by adopter confidence gaps, financial concerns, and housing restrictions, rather than simple lack of demand. Hill’s said the report draws on a survey of 2,000 U.S. adults plus national shelter data, positioning the issue as both a consumer-perception problem and a system-capacity problem for shelters and rescues. (hillspet.com)

The backdrop is a shelter sector that remains under strain even as intake has moderated from earlier peaks. Shelter Animals Count reported that about 1.9 million dogs and cats were adopted nationwide in the first half of 2025, down 1% from the same period in 2024. Within that, adoption trends diverged sharply by size: large and medium dog adoptions fell 9% and 3%, respectively, while small-dog adoptions increased 6%. Shelter Animals Count also said live community outcomes were down 2% year over year and highlighted ongoing barriers including limited pet-friendly housing and affordable veterinary care. (shelteranimalscount.org)

Hill’s says its large-dog report was designed to drill into those barriers. On the company’s report page, Hill’s said large dogs have the longest median lengths of stay compared with small and medium dogs, adding to capacity strains nationwide. Vet Candy’s coverage of the report said 35% of respondents were likely to adopt a large dog, with another 19% neutral, suggesting some room to shift undecided adopters if the right support is in place. The concerns most often tied to hesitation were practical ones: space, cost, behavior, training, and day-to-day manageability. (hillspet.com)

That framing aligns with other animal-welfare reporting and advocacy. Best Friends says housing policies that restrict dogs by size, weight, or breed are a major obstacle for families trying to keep or adopt large dogs, and describes housing restrictions as the top recorded reason people surrender big dogs. The ASPCA and Shelter Animals Count have also linked shelter pressure to a shortage of pet-inclusive housing and affordable veterinary care. In a Shelter Animals Count webinar recap published in late 2024, large dogs were described as staying in shelters about twice as long as they did before the pandemic, with median stays rising from 11 days in 2019 to 21 days in 2023. (bestfriends.org)

Industry reaction has centered less on disputing the findings than on what to do with them. Vet Candy’s analysis argued that the report gives shelters and rescue groups actionable data for outreach and support design, and specifically pointed to veterinary teams as part of the solution. Other shelter-side commentary has emphasized trial adoption periods, field trips, sleepovers, same-day adoptions, and barrier-reduction strategies. Shelter Animals Count’s recap of its big-dog webinar said field trips increased adoption likelihood fivefold and sleepovers fourteenfold, while Best Friends has promoted fee-waived “Love Large” campaigns to move more big dogs into homes. (myvetcandy.com)

Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, this story lands well beyond shelter medicine. If adopter hesitation is tied to expected medical costs, uncertainty about behavior, and fear of getting in over their heads, then general practice teams can influence outcomes before and after adoption. Cost estimates for preventive care, early behavior counseling, nutrition guidance, and clear follow-up plans may help convert interest into successful placement. The retention piece matters too: Vet Advantage reported that 95% of pet parents who received post-adoption support when considering surrender chose to keep their pet, underscoring how access to timely veterinary care can affect whether an adoption sticks. The AVMA’s policy language reinforces that these are veterinary issues, naming behavior, access to care, and housing as core drivers of relinquishment. (vet-advantage.com)

There’s also a workflow implication for clinics that partner with shelters or see newly adopted dogs. Large-dog adopters may need more anticipatory guidance around orthopedic risk, weight management, training expectations, insurance or wellness-plan options, and landlord documentation. For practices already stretched thin, that may sound like one more demand. But the same data suggest it could be a targeted intervention point: if shelters can reduce uncertainty and clinics can reduce the fear of surprise costs, more large-dog adoptions may become viable and more placements may hold. That’s an inference from the available data, but it’s a reasonable one given how consistently cost, confidence, and housing recur across sources. (hillspet.com)

What to watch: The next phase will likely be less about awareness and more about program design. Watch for shelters and veterinary partners to expand foster-to-adopt pathways, behavior support, transparent medical packages, subsidized first visits, and advocacy around pet-inclusive housing. Just as important will be whether future Hill’s and Shelter Animals Count reporting shows measurable movement in large-dog length of stay, adoption rates, and retention after adoption. (shelteranimalscount.org)