At Harbor Humane, we believe in transparency and education when it comes to the work we do, and that includes the language we use. While certain terms such as “adoption,” “intake,” or “stray” may seem self-explanatory, they each carry specific meanings and processes behind them. Whether you’re a longtime supporter, a potential adopter, or just curious about how we operate, understanding these terms helps paint a clearer picture of how animals move through our care and into loving homes. Below, we’ve broken down the most common intake and outcome definitions you’ll hear at Harbor Humane.
Intake Definitions
Stray
An animal picked up by Ottawa County Animal Control Officers or the general public and the owner is not known. All stray animals are held for 4 days if they have no signs of identification or 7 days with identification before final outcome is determined.
We do not count the day the animal came in or days we are closed as part of the stray hold.
Owner Surrender
An animal who is surrendered to the shelter by his or her owner.
Transferred In
Animals who are transferred in from other agencies. Typically transfers come from overcrowded shelters who have adoptable animals in danger of being euthanized.
Returns
Usually included in other intakes, these are animals that were adopted from our shelter and the adopter/owner is no longer able to keep them.
Outcome Definitions
Adoption
A process where a person takes in the animal to their home to care for it and assumes all responsibility for the animal.
Returned to Owner
An animal who was usually brought to the shelter as a stray is returned to the owner that lost him or her.
Transferred Out
Animals who are transferred out to another agency that may be able to better care for that animal or transferred out because the original shelter may be overcrowded.
Returned to Field
Typically used as an outcome for community or feral cats. Animals are spayed or neutered, ear-tipped and returned to where they came from or to a feral colony.
Died in Care
An animal who was in care of the agency and died at the agency. Animals that die in care at Harbor Humane typically are neonate kittens who were orphaned and were being bottle fed by foster parents. This also may include animals who are currently under medical treatment but are not strong enough to survive.
Shelter Euthanasia
Animals who are not able to be placed for adoption are humanely euthanized by an intravenous injection of sodium pentobarbital administered by a trained professional. Harbor Humane only euthanizes animals who are gravely ill or temperamentally unsound for placement, or pose a threat or danger to the community.
Live Release Rate*
A live release rate is the rate of animals that leave the shelter via adoption, return to owner, return to field, or transfer out. We calculate by the following formula:
Live Release Rate = (# of animals adopted + # of animals returned to owner + # of animals returned to field + # of animals transferred out) / Total # of animals intaken.
*When calculated monthly, the number can be a bit off as it does not include animals already in our care. So for instance, we may show a very low live release rate one month but it is because the majority of those animals were still in our care at the end of the month.
Each term above represents a step in an animal’s journey. At Harbor Humane, we’re committed to ensuring those journeys end in safe, loving environments whenever possible. By understanding how animals arrive in our care and the paths they can take from there, our community can better support the work we do every day.
