Abstract
This study investigated the status and analyzed of stray dogs, stray cats admitted to the Jeju Animal Shelter during the year of 2015 to 2019, and the infection rates of specific diseases for abandoned dogs. In addition, in 2017 to 2019, the collected intake and outcome data were reviewed to analyze shelter capacity in terms of housing capacity (monthly daily average intake, required holding capacity, and adoption-driven capacity), staff capacity (staff hours required for daily care). Out of 24,557 dogs admitted to the shelter, owners of 1,808 dogs (7.4%) visited the shelter and found their lost dogs, while 3,612 dogs (14.7%) were adopted to new families. However, the number of puppies that were euthanized was the highest at 12,266 (49.9%), and 6,876 (28%) died either death from disease or natural causes because they were detained in shelters. The monthly daily average (MDA), which is one of the indicators for efficient population management of Jeju Animal Shelter, was found to be 17.4 for abandoned dogs and 1.7 for abandoned cats. Seasonal variations were observed for MDA, RHC, MDA adoptions, ADC, and RSDC, indicating that various strategies are needed for shelter management. This study was performed to analyze and interpret meaningful statistics for improving the efficiency of animal shelters in Jeju. However, inconsistent collection of animal statistics limited data compilation. Creation of a basic animal statistics matrix with reference to well-designed matrices from recognized professional animal shelters is essential.
