Earlier attention. Shorter waits. More animals home.

Cat and dog intake episodes with no confidently matched recorded outcome as of the snapshot.

Window:

As of the snapshot time shown in the data details.

Sample:

Wildlife and livestock are excluded. Ambiguous joins are excluded. Records open for more than a year are counted but flagged as possibly stale.

Use:

A rough size for the population that may need review.

Limit:

Not verified adoption availability and not exact kennel occupancy: Austin publishes intake and outcome events, not a roster.

The middle wait among animals actually adopted in the cohort: about half waited less and half more.

Window:

Stays that began in the trailing twelve months.

Sample:

Adoptions only. Transfers, returns to owner, euthanasia and open stays are not in the sample.

Use:

Comparing observed adoption timelines across periods or groups.

Limit:

It is not every animal's expected wait: animals still waiting and animals who left another way are not counted.

Eligible arrivals adopted by day 30, divided by arrivals that have had a full 30 days in which to be adopted.

Window:

Arrivals in the trailing twelve months, excluding the most recent 30 days.

Sample:

Arrivals too recent to have had 30 days are excluded, not counted as failures. Other exits within 30 days count as not adopted.

Use:

Historical early-adoption frequency.

Limit:

A recent change in practice shows up only after 30 days have elapsed.

Completed stays lasting more than 60 days, divided by completed stays.

Window:

Stays that began in the trailing twelve months.

Sample:

Completed, confidently matched cat and dog stays, whatever the outcome.

Use:

How often long stays happened in completed history.

Limit:

It is not the fraction of animals currently here who are past 60 days, and it is not a prediction.