🐾 **WHAT THE 2026 MID-YEAR DATA TELLS US: PREVENTION MATTERS** The latest report from **Shelter Animals Count** looks at cats and dogs entering and leaving shelters and private rescues during the first half of 2026 — and the numbers reinforce why prevention matters.

📈 **3.68 million** cats and dogs entered care — 72,000 more than last year. 🐕 **Dog adoptions remain 6.3% below 2016 levels.** 🐱 **674,000+ kittens** entered care, with juvenile cat intake reaching its highest level on record. 🔄 **Transfers are down nearly 19%** compared with 2016. And overall, **213,000 more cats and dogs entered care than left** during the first half of the year. What does this tell us? We can’t rely on adoption and rescue alone to solve the animal welfare crisis. **We also have to prevent animals from entering the system in the first place.** That’s why Planned PEThood focuses on affordable veterinary care, spay/neuter, community outreach, TNVR and education. Because **rescue starts before the shelter.** 💙🐾 📊 Explore the full report from Shelter Animals Count: pethoodga.org/2026data *Source: Shelter Animals Count, 2026 Mid-Year Data Summary.*