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Adoption records from 2 no kill shelters in New York State were examined to determine how age, sex, size, breed group, and coat color influenced the length of stay (LOS) of dogs at these shelters. Young puppies had the shortest length of stay; LOS among dogs increased linearly as age increased. Neither coat color nor sex influenced LOS. Considering only size classifications, medium-size dogs had the greatest LOS, and extra small dogs and puppies remained in shelters for the least amount of time. Considering only breed groupings, dogs in the guard group had the greatest LOS and those in the giant group had the shortest LOS. The lack of effect of coat color was not expected, nor was the shorter LOS among "fighting" breeds compared with other breed groups. Coat color and breed may have only local effects on LOS that do not generalize to all shelters, including traditional shelters. Understanding the traits of dogs in a specific shelter and the characteristics of these nonhuman animals desired by adopters are critical to improving the welfare of animals served by that shelter.

Adoption records from the Tompkins County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, an open-admission, no-kill shelter in New York State, were examined to determine if various physical attributes influenced the length of stay (LOS) of cats and kittens. Similar reports from other no-kill shelters have not been published. LOS averaged 61.2 days for cats and kittens combined and ranged from less than 1 day to 730 days. Based on mixed models that accounted for lack of independence among attributes, younger, lighter-colored cats were generally adopted more quickly than older, more darkly colored cats, but yellow-colored cats had the greatest LOS. Coat color did not influence LOS for kittens. Coat patterning and breed designation influenced LOS in both cats and kittens. Male cats and kittens had a shorter LOS than female cats and kittens, respectively. Studies from traditional shelters also demonstrated the importance of physical characteristics to adopters. Given adopter preferences for companion animals with certain characteristics, methods to reduce the LOS for cats with the longest potential residences at the shelter require continued development.

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