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The Rescue a Pet Index

A daily-updated snapshot of every dog and cat currently available for adoption from independent rescue organizations across the United States. Free to cite and share — see methodology below.

25,928
Total Adoptable Pets
1,158
Rescue Organizations
14,137
Dogs Available
11,154
Cats Available

Adoptable pets per 100,000 residents

Absolute counts favor large states. Per-capita is a clearer measure of how strained a state's rescue network is.

District of Columbia53.4 per 100k(363 total)Delaware18.5 per 100k(192 total)California17.8 per 100k(6,935 total)New Mexico15.7 per 100k(332 total)Alaska13.0 per 100k(95 total)Texas12.0 per 100k(3,663 total)Arizona11.3 per 100k(843 total)Florida8.5 per 100k(1,951 total)Nevada8.2 per 100k(263 total)North Carolina8.2 per 100k(903 total)

Total adoptable pets by state

California6,935 petsTexas3,663 petsFlorida1,951 petsNew York1,001 petsNorth Carolina903 petsArizona843 petsIllinois815 petsNew Jersey705 petsPennsylvania557 petsVirginia526 petsMissouri481 petsIndiana473 petsMaryland463 petsOhio452 petsGeorgia422 pets

States where rescue cats outnumber rescue dogs

Nationally, dogs outnumber cats. These states flip that ratio.

Delaware144 cats vs 45 dogsSouth Carolina269 cats vs 148 dogsIowa59 cats vs 36 dogsFlorida1,098 cats vs 840 dogsIndiana258 cats vs 208 dogsOhio234 cats vs 210 dogs

Where one breed dominates the local rescue population

Excludes generic catch-alls (mixed breed, domestic shorthair). Each link is the breed-in-state listing.

Pit Bull Terrier in Oklahoma40% of all dogsBelgian Shepherd Malinois in Michigan39% of all dogsPit Bull Terrier in Nevada39% of all dogsLabrador Retriever in Alabama29% of all dogsLabrador Retriever in District of Columbia25% of all dogsAmerican Pit Bull Terrier in Arizona21% of all dogsPit Bull Terrier in California20% of all dogsLabrador Retriever in Missouri19% of all dogs

Most common rescue dog breeds

1.Pit Bull Terrier1,709 (12.1%)2.Labrador Retriever1,442 (10.2%)3.German Shepherd Dog1,299 (9.2%)4.Chihuahua749 (5.3%)5.Terrier701 (5.0%)6.American Pit Bull Terrier518 (3.7%)7.American Staffordshire Terrier451 (3.2%)8.Siberian Husky406 (2.9%)9.Shepherd382 (2.7%)10.Australian Cattle Dog322 (2.3%)11.Unknown breed304 (2.2%)12.Boxer295 (2.1%)13.Husky278 (2.0%)14.Great Pyrenees248 (1.8%)15.Belgian Shepherd Malinois246 (1.7%)

Most common rescue cat breeds

1.Domestic Short Hair8,587 (77.0%)2.Domestic Medium Hair726 (6.5%)3.Tabby536 (4.8%)4.Domestic Long Hair439 (3.9%)5.Siamese150 (1.3%)6.Calico116 (1.0%)7.American Shorthair116 (1.0%)8.Tuxedo104 (0.9%)9.Tortoiseshell78 (0.7%)10.Maine Coon52 (0.5%)

Pets by age

Adult9,661 (37.3%)
Baby8,076 (31.1%)
Young5,707 (22.0%)
Senior1,500 (5.8%)
Unknown984 (3.8%)

Pets by size

Medium12,989 (50.1%)
Small7,575 (29.2%)
Large5,138 (19.8%)
X-Large226 (0.9%)

Methodology & citation

The Rescue a Pet Index aggregates listings from independent rescue organizations via RescueGroups.org, refreshed every 24 hours. Counts reflect animals currently listed as available for adoption — pets that have been adopted or removed from listings are excluded.

Per-capita rankings use 2024 US Census Bureau population estimates. States with fewer than 50 listings or fewer than 30 of a given species are excluded from per-capita and species-flip rankings to avoid small-sample noise.

Free to cite under CC BY 4.0. Suggested citation: Rescue a Pet Index, June 1, 2026, https://rescueapet.app/stats.

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Last updated: June 1, 2026.