ArticleAnimals : an open access journal from MDPI2026
Increased Intake and Use of Euthanasia in Dog Shelters in the UK and Republic of Ireland 2021-2023.
Article in Animals : an open access journal from MDPI, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Impacts of the 'Cost-of-Living Crisis' on UK-Based Owners of Pandemic Puppies.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
In the United Kingdom (UK) and Republic of Ireland (ROI), Local Authorities (LAs) are responsible for stray dogs, with close cultural links and trade in dogs between these jurisdictions. However, there is a lack of coordinated data on the annual numbers of dogs entering LA shelters, reasons for their intake and outcomes across these countries. By making a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to all LAs in the UK and ROI, this study aimed to elucidate and combine this information for 2021-2023, including euthanasia figures and policies relating to animal welfare. In total, 319 of the 403 LAs responded and 254 (63%) provided usable data for the three years. In all countries combined, the numbers of dogs entering LA shelters increased from 16,310 in 2021 to 21,408 in 2022 and to 23,287 in 2023. The proportion of dogs taken into shelter by LAs that were then rehomed directly or via a rehoming organisation increased from 41% in 2021 to 53% 2023, but so did the proportion of dogs euthanased, except in Scotland. Overall, 6.3% of LA kennelled stray dogs were euthanased in 2023, compared with 3.0% in 2022 and 1.9% in 2021. The most commonly euthanased breed type in 2021 was the Staffordshire Bull Terrier and by 2023, other Bull breeds, XL Bullies (from 1 case in 2021 to 150 cases in 2023 in responding LAs), and Collies were being euthanased more frequently. Written welfare and euthanasia policies were reportedly present for 27% and 23% of Las, respectively. A harmonised approach to LA dog data is recommended to enable monitoring over time and between LAs, regions, and countries.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.