The data · DMV dog shelter outcomes
Dog live-release, intake and euthanasia for every county in Virginia, Maryland and DC. Transparency isn't just for our dollars; it's for the problem we exist to shrink. The geography is the whole reason barkhood works upstream.
Where the need is greatest · by county
Color shows each county's dog live-release rate — how many dogs leave the shelter alive. The well-resourced metro core is largely green; the strain falls on under-resourced rural and exurban counties doing the hardest job with the least. Click any county for its numbers and a link to its full, source-cited page (MD shows an exact rate; VA a conservative floor — see the note below).
The under-resourced edge. The orange and red counties — rural Southwest VA, the Eastern Shore, and exurban fringes — run dog live-release around 70%, not for lack of trying, but because they face thin adoption demand, no foster network, and county budgets that won't fund spay/neuter. How barkhood helps: fund the bridge to metro adopters, plus spay vouchers and surrender-diversion — with the partner shelter, never at its expense.
Tap any county on the map to see its dog live-release numbers and a link to its full record.
By shelter · biggest DMV dog shelters, 2025
Dog intake, adoptions, live-release and euthanasia — the comparison usually buried in a PDF. Each row links to its county's full record.
| Shelter | Jurisdiction | Dog intake | Adoptions | Live release | Euthanasia | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prince George's County Animal Services | Prince George's County | 4,217 | 1,689 | 90.4% | 339 | county → |
| Animal Care Center of Charles County | Charles County | 2,389 | 537 | 66.6% | 678 | county → |
| Montgomery County Department of Animal Services | Montgomery County | 2,176 | 921 | 93.4% | 127 | county → |
| Prince William County Animal Control and Public Animal Shelter | Prince William County | 1,870 | 926 | ≥86.2% | 258 | county → |
| Fairfax County Animal Control and Public Animal Shelter | Fairfax County | 1,832 | 796 | ≥86.7% | 242 | county → |
| Lucky Dog Animal Rescue | Arlington County | 1,828 | 1,794 | ≥99.7% | 0 | county → |
| SFC Virginia Inc. | Spotsylvania County | 1,331 | 1,166 | ≥96.7% | 7 | county → |
| Old Dominion Humane Society | Spotsylvania County | 1,309 | 1,163 | ≥97.1% | 10 | county → |
| Operation Paws for Homes | Fairfax County | 1,151 | 1,052 | ≥98.7% | 5 | county → |
| Lost Dog Rescue Foundation | Arlington County | 1,132 | 1,119 | ≥98.9% | 9 | county → |
| Spotsylvania County Animal Control and Public Animal Shelter | Spotsylvania County | 1,063 | 367 | ≥95.1% | 52 | county → |
| Homeward Trails Adoption Center | Fairfax County | 1,032 | 911 | ≥97.8% | 12 | county → |
| Wolf Trap Animal Rescue | Fairfax County | 937 | 923 | ≥98.2% | 4 | county → |
| Canine Lifesavers, Inc. | Stafford County | 934 | 989 | ≥99.2% | 8 | county → |
| Stafford County Animal Control and Public Animal Shelter | Stafford County | 885 | 355 | ≥88.5% | 99 | county → |
| Loudoun County Animal Control and Public Animal Shelter | Loudoun County | 796 | 458 | ≥91.1% | 70 | county → |
Dot color = the county's live-release band. Live-release rate = (adopted + returned to owner + transferred out) ÷ (live outcomes + non-owner euthanasia + died in care); owner-requested euthanasia excluded (Asilomar standard). VA shows a conservative floor (≥); MD an exact rate. Dogs only.
Help your corner of the DMV fund the bridge from the under-resourced counties to the metro adopters — with the shelters, not at their expense, every dollar public.
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