San Jose, CA animal shelter length of stay
Dogs at this shelter had a median stay of 8 days and cats 6 days. 20.1% of dogs and 19.5% of cats stayed longer than 30 days. Figures come from 50,696 completed stays in the city's or county's public open data, intakes 2021-07 to the most recent intake with full follow-up.
Dogs
8 days
median · 90th percentile 69.2 days · 16,439 stays
Cats
6 days
median · 90th percentile 49 days · 34,257 stays
Trends
Years are by intake date. The most recent months are left out until animals have had at least 180 days to reach an outcome, so long stays aren't cut off.
Seasonality
When animals arrive shapes how full the kennels get. The bars show average completed stays by intake month in full calendar years; the line shows how stay length moves with the season.
Dogs: length of stay by group
By age at intake
| Age | Stays | Median days | 90th pct days | Mean days | % over 30 days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 2 months | 1,058 | 6 | 27 | 12.6 | 7.5% |
| 2 to 6 months | 1,636 | 8 | 30 | 17.8 | 10.0% |
| 6 to 12 months | 2,323 | 12 | 79 | 34.0 | 26.8% |
| 1 to 3 years | 4,438 | 12 | 106 | 40.4 | 29.7% |
| 3 to 7 years | 2,878 | 10 | 106 | 38.1 | 26.4% |
| 7 years and older | 1,898 | 5 | 42.3 | 21.6 | 14.3% |
By size
Not available in this dataset.
By breed group
| Breed group | Stays | Median days | 90th pct days | Mean days | % over 30 days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guardian / mastiff type | 857 | 11 | 83 | 33.2 | 25.4% |
| Pit bull type | 2,792 | 11 | 130 | 44.3 | 30.8% |
| Shepherd / herding | 2,680 | 11 | 107 | 37.6 | 29.0% |
| Other / mixed | 869 | 9 | 58.2 | 25.3 | 18.5% |
| Hound | 420 | 8 | 56.3 | 23.3 | 15.0% |
| Husky / spitz | 1,321 | 8 | 84 | 32.5 | 27.8% |
| Retriever / sporting | 741 | 8 | 88 | 33.0 | 23.6% |
| Terrier (other) | 495 | 7 | 35 | 23.5 | 12.5% |
| Small / toy | 6,264 | 6 | 30 | 16.1 | 10.0% |
By intake type
| Intake type | Stays | Median days | 90th pct days | Mean days | % over 30 days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owner surrender | 1,288 | 10 | 77 | 34.5 | 23.3% |
| Owner-requested euthanasia | 238 | 10.5 | 64.6 | 25.5 | 27.7% |
| Returned adoption | 695 | 9 | 88 | 31.5 | 25.3% |
| Seized / custody / hold | 1,529 | 10 | 54 | 23.3 | 15.9% |
| Stray | 12,462 | 7 | 68 | 28.0 | 19.7% |
| Transfer in | 205 | 9 | 90.2 | 37.9 | 31.2% |
Cats: length of stay by group
By age at intake
| Age | Stays | Median days | 90th pct days | Mean days | % over 30 days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 2 months | 11,660 | 19 | 66 | 28.8 | 38.0% |
| 2 to 6 months | 4,476 | 10 | 45 | 18.8 | 19.4% |
| 6 to 12 months | 1,627 | 8 | 41 | 16.3 | 14.4% |
| 1 to 3 years | 2,363 | 9 | 39.8 | 17.8 | 15.4% |
| 3 to 7 years | 1,675 | 7 | 37 | 15.7 | 12.7% |
| 7 years and older | 1,090 | 7 | 39 | 16.5 | 14.2% |
By intake type
| Intake type | Stays | Median days | 90th pct days | Mean days | % over 30 days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owner surrender | 999 | 10 | 46 | 21.4 | 18.8% |
| Owner-requested euthanasia | 85 | 11 | 61.4 | 23.2 | 23.5% |
| Returned adoption | 395 | 4 | 31 | 11.9 | 10.4% |
| Seized / custody / hold | 322 | 18 | 50.9 | 25.0 | 25.2% |
| Stray | 32,100 | 6 | 49 | 17.5 | 19.7% |
| Transfer in | 351 | 1 | 27 | 8.2 | 6.6% |
By condition at intake
| Condition | Stays | Median days | 90th pct days | Mean days | % over 30 days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Behavior / feral | 885 | 5 | 21 | 9.9 | 5.6% |
| Healthy | 12,516 | 6 | 41 | 16.1 | 16.1% |
| Other / unknown | 105 | 1 | 52.4 | 12.4 | 16.2% |
| Severe medical | 3,287 | 0 | 18 | 6.7 | 6.5% |
| Sick / injured | 10,877 | 10 | 51 | 20.3 | 23.2% |
| Young / nursing / pregnant | 6,586 | 6 | 64 | 22.4 | 28.1% |
Outcomes
Every recorded outcome type, as the shelter reports it, grouped into standard categories.
About this data
- Source: Animal Shelter Intake and Outcomes (FY2021-22 to FY2026-27), published by City of San Jose. License or terms: CC0 (Creative Commons CCZero). Source last updated Oct 21, 2026.
- Fields available here: age, breed group, color, sex. Groups with fewer than 50 stays are hidden.
- Each shelter records intake types, conditions and outcomes its own way, so compare categories across shelters with care. Shelter Insights is not affiliated with this shelter.
Other shelters: Austin, TX · Dallas, TX · Long Beach, CA · Louisville, KY · Montgomery County, MD · Norfolk, VA · Sonoma County, CA. See also the interactive benchmarks, capacity for care and our guides.