Broward County Animal Care reports one of its strongest years ever with major gains in adoptions and rescues
Broward County, Florida – Animal Care is finishing off Fiscal Year 2025 with results that show it was one of the best years in the agency’s history. The county’s official pet adoption and animal welfare team says that almost every metric of success has gone up a lot this year. This is as a result of hard work, community support, and a strong focus on saving lives.
The agency found new homes for 3,894 animals between October 1, 2024 and September 30, 2025. This number is more than 160 adoptions higher than last year, indicating that people are becoming more confident in the shelter’s goal to save lives. A total of 568 animals were returned to their owners, which is around 31% higher than previous year. This is due to better methods and more public awareness.
Partnerships for rescue were also very important. Working with local and regional groups helped 733 animals find new homes through transfers, which is almost 200 more than the year before. These agreements are now necessary for increasing capacity and giving more at-risk pets chances to find secure, loving homes.
“These results are a direct reflection of the passion and hard work of our staff, volunteers, and community supporters,” said Doug Brightwell, Director of Broward County Animal Care. “Every adoption, every reunion, every saved life represents Broward County at its best – a community united in compassion.”
Animals are not only finding homes in larger numbers, but they are also finding them more quickly. Dogs stayed an average of almost 11 days less, which helped them adjust to stable situations more rapidly. Cats also benefited from better placement timelines, with delays for adoption cut by more than two days. Animals are less stressed when they spend less time in shelters, and families may more easily find a good match for them.
These successes helped raise the live release rate, which is one of the most crucial measures of how well a shelter is doing. This year, that number went up to 82.79 percent, which shows that progress is being made to make sure that more animals leave the shelter safely than ever before.
“We are building momentum, but we are just getting started,” Brightwell added. “Our focus remains on helping every animal in our care find safety, health, and love – and ensuring that Broward County remains a model for excellent and compassionate animal welfare.”
To learn more about adopting, fostering, or volunteering, visit Broward.org/Animal or call 954-357-9758.
