Have you observed any form of abuse, neglect, or failure to treat animals in a public animal shelter?

Submit your experience to the Animal Welfare Data Center

We are working directly with state regulating entities to push for process improvement in the animal care & control system. Report an incident using the button below if you have observed or been involved in a situation with a local animal shelter that you believe posed risk to an animal's health and safety.

Report an incident

Volunteer Positions Now Open

Discover impactful volunteer roles at the Animal Welfare Data Center, dedicated to analyzing and publishing data for systemic improvements in California’s public animal shelter system.

The Animal Welfare Data Center is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of care for animals in shelters across the United States. 

Our mission is to establish a national database on deficiencies of standards for quality of care in public animal shelters and the impact these deficiencies have on our communities, as well as create a central source of trusted information for the animal welfare community.

Donation Campaigns

Donate to the Animal Welfare Data Center

Donate to the Animal Welfare Data Center

Donate to the Animal Welfare Data Center

Your donations to the Animal Welfare Data Center empower individuals and organizations to make a…

Who can use the data center and how will the data be used?

At the Animal Welfare Data Center, we believe that improving the welfare of animals in shelters requires data-driven policies and initiatives. We collect data on animal shelters across the United States to identify areas where improvements can be made, and we use this information to advocate for change at the local and national levels. Our goal is to establish a national database that will provide detailed information on the quality of care provided by animal shelters, as well as the outcomes for animals that are housed in these facilities and the significant economic and biological effects current processes have had on our communities.

We work closely with animal shelters, rescue organizations, legislative groups, and other community stakeholders to gather the information we need to drive meaningful change. State decision-makers and governing bodies that have the power to change policies and implement new processes can only assess the full gravity of the system’s impact on the community with hard data. By collecting first-hand from the public describing the details of how the current shelter system has impacted their lives, our team of experienced data analysts and animal welfare advocates can perform analysis and produce reports, presentations, and educational materials to share with the public as well as national and local governing bodies. We believe that every animal deserves to be treated with dignity and respect, and we are dedicated to improving the quality of care for animals in shelters across the United States.

If you share our passion for animal welfare and want to get involved in our efforts, we encourage you to report any incidents you have observed or experienced using our incident form or you can reach out to learn more about how you can help. Join us in our mission to improve the welfare of animals and make a lasting impact on the lives of our companions. Some examples of incidents you can report are:

Do you have questions about the current animal care & control crisis?

There is much information available to the public regarding the current state of the animal shelter crisis, ongoing efforts, and how to get involved, but it is not always so easy to find. You can use our website to submit any questions you may have, and someone from our team will get back to you and share any resources we have available. We encourage the community to ask questions and provide feedback so we know what issues and concerns must still be addressed.