Title
Strategies for Increasing Large Dog Adoptions and Rescue Partnerships
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FileID
File ID: 2026-01816
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Location
Location: Citywide
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Recommendation
Recommendation: Review and comment.
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Contact
Contact: April Stevenson, Animal Care Services Manager, (916) 808-8333, astevenson@cityofsacramento.org, Community Development Department
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Presenter
Presenter: Ryan Hinderman, Communications and Customer Service Manager, (916) 808-7911, rhinderman@cityofsacramento.org, Community Development Department
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Attachments
Attachments:
1-Description/Analysis
2-2025 Animal Wellbeing Commission Annual Report
3-List of Ideas to Increase Large Dog Adoptions
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Description/Analysis
IssueDetail
Issue Detail:
One of the shelter’s greatest ongoing challenges is finding enough positive outcomes for large dogs to offset high intake and maintain enough space in the kennels to operate safely and effectively. The Commission has expressed interest in discussing ways to increase these outcomes, including utilizing Facebook advertising, expanding the number of rescues on the shelter’s list, improving rescue outreach methodology, and other strategies to increase large dog adoptions. A Commission working group focused on increasing large dog adoptions has met several times with staff to discuss ideas, which has resulted in exploration of a behavioral support service for adopters, and development of a postcard to send to new homeowners encouraging them to add a large dog to their home. This item will allow expansion of discussion of such strategies to the rest of the Commission.
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PolicyConsiderations
Policy Considerations: None.
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EconomicImpacts
Economic Impacts: None.
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EnvironmentalConsiderations
Environmental Considerations: Not applicable.
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Sustainability
Sustainability: Not applicable.
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Commission/Committee Action
Commission/Committee Action:
In 2025, the Animal Wellbeing Commission formed a Dog Adoption Ad Hoc Committee to gather data and generate ideas. The data findings and conclusions of the Committee are included in the 2025 Animal Wellbeing Commission Annual Report (Attachment 2). The Committee formally dissolved at the April 15th, 2026 meeting of the Commission, but a working group was formed to continue discussing large dog adoptions. The working group and staff have met several times since. A list of ideas for increasing large dog adoptions was created (Attachment 3), and multiple items have been implemented or are in the process of implementation.
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RationaleforRecommendation
Rationale for Recommendation:
Large adult dogs are substantially more difficult to find adopters and rescues for than small dogs and puppies. The shelter has 99 dog kennels, but must often house nearly twice that number. Finding ways to increase outcomes for these dogs would help the shelter keep pace with the high number of large dog intakes while lowering stress, reducing the spread of illness, and increasing lifesaving outcomes. The Commission expressed interest in discussing Facebook advertising via the poll, and discussing ways to increase adoptions and rescue placements via the follow-up log.
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FinancialConsiderations
Financial Considerations: Not applicable.
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