khaleesi

I agree with Diana that stats aren't everything and that there are many other important factors to consider such as the welfare of the animals, whether they have do a good job of screening potential adopters etc. However I still maintain that they provide some very useful insights, particularly if you want to look at state differences, or look at trends over time? Last week just out of curiosity I did a quick graph of the reclaim rates (returned to original owners) of dogs at the RSPCA ACT using their freely available stats. http://imgur.com/4YHMZ2t There is a clear increasing trend in reclaim rates with more of the incoming dogs being returned to their owners. In 2008 compulsory microchipping was introduced, and this could perhaps explain the increase seen particularly from that year onwards? As a side note, I actually think it is very useful to separate out reclaim rates and rehome rates as they are very different processes and require different strategies to improve. To increase reclaim rates you need to educate the public about microchips etc, to have reasonable fees to release dogs that people can reasonably afford to pay while still acting as a 'stick' or disincentive, reasonable opening hours, a user-friendly website with photos or a list of dogs at the pound so people can see if their pooch is there etc. To increase rehome rates the pound might advertise the dogs, work with rescues etc. Of course also as Diana said the makeup of the population has to be considered. For example some geographical areas of Australia might have much higher % of dogs that are surrendered, whereas others might have a much higher % of seized dogs. When interpreting the statistics and doing intrer-shelter comparisons this can easily be taken into account if the stats were made available.

Exactly sarsparilla :) Sorry sometimes I get myself in a tangle and don't make much sense.

@keetamouse I have written to several local politicians, including Katy Gallagher, but haven't received any reply. I know Michael Linke said back in 2011 that he hoped the TAMS annual report would use a rehome rate based on all dogs as early as 2011. That still has not happened Hopefully with enough public pressure things might change? http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/pound-earns-praise-for-rehoming-dogs-20111005-1v746.html DAS have nothing to be ashamed of. Their work is great. @sarsaparilla the %rehomed after reclaimed is the percentage of ALL dogs rehomed to a new home (i.e. adopted/rescued) after excluding those dogs that just went back to their original owner. At least in the ACT just over 50% of dogs that come to either RSPCA ACT or DAS pound are just beloved pets that have gotten out of their yard and been picked up. These are usually reclaimed by their owner after just one or two days. So the %rehomed after reclaimed is the standard rehoming rate, excluding from the denominator these reclaimed dogs.

It's very possible (and likely) that other pounds also have dodgy stats in some instances. The key is that most of them at least provide some breakdown of the statistics. In it's annual reports and other documents TAMS only shows two numbers: (1) total number of dogs impounded and (2) percentage rehomed successfully (for at least 7 years now, this has been sitting at 94-96%). It is only through trawling through Hansard documents or doing FOI requests it is possible to get any proper stats. With the figure sitting at 94-96% for the last 7 years, it is as if there has been no improvement whatsover - which I am sure there has given that the pound has taken several good steps to increase rehoming. As shown in the below presentation most if not all other pounds (and shelters) you can get a breakdown on # reclaimed, # rehomed, # euthanized etc. But for DAS pound it is notably absent! http://www.g2z.org.au/assets/pdf2013/DianaChua_VETS5017_G2Z.07.jr.pdf I think this is a pity because the DAS pound actually does some fantastic work in conjuction with the rescue groups. From the stats I have been able to find they are among the better ones! But the lack of transparency is some of the worst I have seen.

I think the fluid definition of 'adoptable' is a real problem. However, if pounds and shelters made available their intake numbers and the outcomes it would be much easier to compare the performance of pounds/shelters across the country using a standard figure. A recent presentation at the Getting 2 Zero conference in 2013 did a great job trying to do some state by state comparisons. http://www.g2z.org.au/assets/pdf2013/DianaChua_VETS5017_G2Z.07.jr.pdf The DAS figure for the ACT pound is the only one that really stands out as being a complete outlier. If the true figure is around 85% then this is much more comparable to many other pounds around the country, but still towards the high end. As many other pounds around the country DAS has to deal with seized dogs, dogs that have been involved in attacks and so on. These would obviously not be rehomable. But to be able to have a reasonable comparison of statistics, these need to be clear and transparent. Otherwise how can we ever know if things are improving. They way TAMS calculates the figures for DAS they have been at 94-96% for years and years now. Meanwhile RSPCA ACT include all their statistics clearly in their annual reports.

I frequently come across people saying that the DAS pound in Canberra has a 95% rehoming rate, and that this is one of the best in the country. I have always believed this figure which is reported in the TAMS (Territory and Municipal Services) Annual reports and other official documents. A friend of mine recently pointed out thought that the key here is that it is a qualified figure. As the fine print in the TAMS annual report says, it is the percentage of dogs reclaimed or adopted/rescued divided by the number of dogs thought to be adoptable (not the total number of dogs!). However often this fine print, which in my opinion is very misleading, is not even mentioned. For example in an article from last year a TAMS spokeswoman is quoted as saying "DAS rangers care for a large number of dogs and have achieved one of the highest re-homing rates of any pound in the country, at around 95 per cent.'' http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/lost-and-pound-krieger-the-weimaraner-and-owner-reunited-20140301-33sx8.html Mr Stanhope also frequently cites this statistic, but as he admits himself - "unadoptable dogs" however they are identified, are conveniently excluded from the equation. http://www.hansard.act.gov.au/hansard/2013/week03/992.htm Total dogs impounded in 2012 = 1,491 (including a carryover of 35 dogs from 2011). Total dogs rehomed (includes reclaimed)= 1,245 Total dogs euthanized= 226 (including 66 "adoptable") Total dogs carried over till next year=20 Excluding the 20 dogs carried over to 2013 that still equals a rehome rate of about 85% if all dogs are taken into account? The DAS pound is wonderful. They have great staff, a volunteer program, work closely with rescue groups and are able to achieve fantastic outcomes. I just don't see why misleading statistics are used.