You’ve probably noticed, in reading about the ASPCA $100K Challenge, that you have to submit some pretty detailed data on the animals in your care if you want to win.

Here’s what we’ll be asking for:

1. All intake by species (broken out by source: stray, owner surrender, transfer in, returned within 30 days, other);

2. All outcomes by species (RTO, adopted, transferred out, euthanized (including by owner request), alternative placements, died or lost in care);

3. Number of canines and felines in your care at the end of each reporting month; and

4. Number of canines and felines transferred out since 7/1/12 who have been confirmed as adopted.

You enter this data into the ASPCA Animal Stats Database for the three months of the contest period and for the same three months of 2011 to show the increase in lives saved that you achieve. (You can check out the data reporting milestones to find out when to submit your data.)

We use this data to verify that the Challenge winners have earned the awards fair and square. You enter the data in the ASPCA Animal Stats Database so we can ensure that all contestants and the ASPCA, are tracking lives saved in this Challenge using the same criteria.

By the way, when you apply to the Challenge, you agree in advance to allow the ASPCA to use and publish your shelter’s live exit data for August, September and October 2012 and for 2011, as well as your annual intake data. No other individual agency data will be shared without the express permission of the agency. We spell this out in the Challenge Rules.

Serious Numbers: ASPCA Animal Stats Database

The ASPCA Animal Stats Database is a tool to manage, sort and identify trends in shelter (and spay/neuter clinic) data. We have used the tool for years with ASPCA Partnership communities. The tool calculates key indicators: Live Release Rate (% of Intake), Total Live Release, Return to Owner, Adoption, Intake, Euthanasia, and Targeted Spay/Neuter. These indicators, and the animal data behind them, help communities and agencies focus their efforts and make sound management decisions based on quantifiable, reliable information.

What separates the Animal Stats Database from other data reporting formats is its use of what we call "naked data”;that is, raw numbers without qualifiers. By not incorporating qualifiers such as "adoptable," "treatable," or "owner requested" (as in the case of euthanasia), the database provides a non-subjective snapshot of an agency's or community's animal data. This becomes especially meaningful in understanding shelter overpopulation at a community, state, regional and national level as it offers a pure “apples to apples” approach to understanding the current level of risk for shelter animals.

On Your Mark, Get Set …

In the next few weeks, we will provide more information to help you collect and report your data for the Challenge. Until then, here are some resources you can check out to get familiar with the ASPCA’s approach to "naked data":

• Data definitions (.pdf): Which animals to include in intake counts. How we define end counts, and more.
• Data points (.pdf): The actual values you’ll enter in the Animal Stats Database.
• Database Summary Report (.pdf): Charleston, SC, is an ASPCA partner community. You can see their 2011 data posted on the ASPCApro website (Reports for our other partner communities are posted there, too.)
• I Like My Data Naked and Bucking the Trend: Blog posts about animal data by Dr. Emily Weiss

Questions?

Contact us at animalstats@aspca.org.