Frequently Asked Questions 

• Why isn't my area's shelter data included on Maddie's Comparative Database?
• Can I send you my local shelter's data?
• You have three types of shelters listed. How do you define each of them?
• The data you're showing on your comparative database isn't very detailed. It seems odd that you require organizations to provide so much detail on Maddie's version of the Asilomar Accords Animal Statistics Table when you're only using their general totals.
• When will 2012 data be posted?
• Why doesn't the human population on the comparative database match the human population of my local Animal Control agency's jurisdiction?
• I've noticed some communities are showing a "50%" next their community name. What does this mean?
• Some of the text is wrapping in the middle of words and some numbers aren't displaying properly. What can I do to fix this?
• Why are you showing Live Release Rates and Deaths/1,000?
• Does the Comparative Database represent the majority of the shelters in the United States?

Why isn't my area's shelter data included on Maddie's Comparative Database?
All data presented in the Comparative Database was provided to Maddie's Fund voluntarily by organizations in each community using Maddie's Fund's version of the Asilomar Accords Animal Statistics Table. The majority of these coalitions received funding through Maddie's Shelter Data grant and Maddie's Community Collaborative Project grant. If you think your community would be interested in these grant opportunities, please encourage them to check out our Grant Guidelines for a Community Shelter Data grant.

Can I send you my local shelter's data?
While you are more than welcome to send us your local shelter's data, Maddie's Fund may not be able to include individual organizations' data on the Comparative Database. Maddie's Fund is only interested in collecting shelter data at the community level with all Animal Control agencies and Traditional Shelters in a targeted area collecting and reporting their shelter data using Maddie's version of the Asilomar Accords Animal Statistics Table. Adoption Guarantee organizations are more than welcome to be included, but their participation is not required.

You have three types of shelters listed. How do you define each of them?

• Animal Control (AC): Municipal agencies or animal organizations that contract with local governments to provide animal control services.
• Traditional (TR): Animal organizations that manage shelter populations by euthanizing pets that are considered to be healthy or treatable in addition to unhealthy & untreatable animals. If a traditional shelter has a contract with local government to provide animal control services, please include this organization in the Animal Control category.
• Adoption Guarantee (AG): Animal organizations that save all the healthy and treatable animals under their care, with euthanasia reserved only for unhealthy & untreatable animals. An adoption guarantee organization could be an animal shelter, rescue group, foster care organization, or sanctuary.

The data you're showing on your comparative database isn't very detailed. It seems odd that you require organizations to provide so much detail on Maddie's version of the Asilomar Accords Animal Statistics Table when you're only using their general totals.
Although the data on the Comparative Database is currently very general, Maddie's Fund has been collecting detailed data from all of the coalitions in the Comparative Database for several years. It is Maddie's Fund's intent to add in more detailed statistics and features in future versions of the comparative database.

When will 2012 data be posted?
Maddie's Fund is in the process of collecting 2012 data from all of the coalitions. We anticipate all data will be finalized and posted later in 2013.

Why doesn't the human population on the comparative database match the human population of my local Animal Control agency's jurisdiction?
Organizations submit their data to Maddie's Fund as part of a coalition via our Shelter Data grant and Community Collaborative Project grant. All of the data Maddie's Fund collects is community-based. The human population listed represents the area the coalition covers. Sometimes this reaches beyond one particular city or county and represents a targeted area of several contiguous counties.

I've noticed some communities are showing a "50%" next their community name. What does this mean?
The 50% next to the community's name means not all shelters reported data. The shelter data we have represents approximately 50% of that community's population.

Some of the text is wrapping in the middle of words and some numbers aren't displaying properly. What can I do to fix this?
If you experience text wrapping issues or large numbers displaying as #### characters, this may be alleviated by setting your screen resolution to a higher setting. Alternately, you can hover over the #### characters to see the number.

Why are you showing Live Release Rates and Deaths/1,000?
Maddie's Fund doesn't believe in looking at just one measurement, which is why we look at Live Release Rate and Deaths/1,000 along with the full data. Looking at just one measurement tool can easily skew results.

Does the Comparative Database represent the majority of the shelters in the United States?
Maddie's Comparative Database contains data from more than 400 shelters throughout the United States. However, this represents less than 4% of all physical shelters and all foster based animal welfare organizations in the US.