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Every life counts.
Our shelter animals are more than statistics; each one has a name and a story. Here’s how we’re doing:
Shelter statistics
Looking for more data? We have published our full 2025 shelter statistics and fiscal year 2025-26 statistics.
As part of our commitment to transparency, Marin Humane participates in the Shelter Animals Count project, a national database for shelter statistics. Please note that these numbers include owner-requested euthanasia.
There is no universally accepted definition for the term “no-kill.” For decades, the term has been used as a description for the number of animals being “saved” at a shelter or rescue organization. Typically, the label has been marketed when a shelter reaches a certain live-release rate although no agreed-upon standards exist. Focusing only on whether animals are “killed” ignores critical context — such as why animals are being surrendered, how long they can be housed and under what conditions, the availability of veterinary care, funding, local laws and ordinances, and the number of potential adopters in the community.
Animal shelters that use this label often have the luxury of being able to turn away animals they deem unadoptable, thereby lessening the chances they’ll need to make those tough choices. “No-kill” doesn’t necessarily mean the shelter or rescue organization never euthanizes. Some call themselves “no-kill” yet euthanize an animal if it is suffering or when his/her behavior is too dangerous. And some transfer these animals to groups without a proper vetting process
While we could call ourselves “no-kill” based on our shelter statistics, we’ve chosen not to as we consider this label misleading and divisive. Many shelters, especially in under-resourced areas, are demonized as “kill shelters” simply because they lack the space, time, proper laws, access to veterinary care, and community support to care for all the animals that come through their doors. We think this does a huge disservice to the cause of animal welfare and further punishes shelters that are already struggling.
Marin Humane is a nonprofit that runs the only open-admission shelter in Marin County. Part of our responsibility is to accept every animal brought to us from Marin, regardless of their behavior history, age, or medical condition. We never know what’s coming through our doors or when a lost or stray animal might be brought in. What we do know is that we will always meet each animal with compassion and do everything in our power to give them another chance.
Here at Marin Humane, we’re fortunate to be able to give every adoptable animal as much time as needed to find a home. We do not euthanize animals for lack of space or for how long an animal has been in our care.
In a small number of cases (less than 5%), we may be faced with an incredibly difficult decision. For example: when the animal is suffering (physically and/or mentally), has irreversible medical conditions, and/or shows dangerous behavior that cannot be safely managed or modified in a shelter environment (including severe reactivity, separation anxiety, and anti-social behaviors). Every day Marin Humane is deeply committed to the health and welfare of the animals in our care while at the same time we must uphold our duty to protect the public.
These decisions are taken very seriously and require consideration of many factors and resources. Every animal and each case are unique. From the moment an animal enters our doors, our trained staff and volunteers from several departments, including veterinary, behavior, animal care, and more, monitor and interact with the animal, learning as much as we can.
Alternative options are considered whenever possible, such as working with outside groups who can better address a particular animal’s needs. Our experience attempting to transfer these animals out has been challenging because many groups turn us down due to the same concerns we have, or lack of necessary resources.
If the decision to proceed with euthanasia is made, we insist on providing the most humane treatment during the final moments of an animal’s life, regardless of the circumstances. Our specially trained staff ensures the animal’s passing is as calm and painless as possible. Every one of these decisions weighs heavily on all of us.
Fortunately, we find positive solutions for more than 95% of the animals brought to us, whether that is through adoption, returning the animals to their families, or transferring them to another adoption partner or breed rescue. We know euthanasia decisions are sometimes difficult to understand, however we hope our community can appreciate the complexity involved with each decision made.
