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The answer is the two primary types of entities that deal with homeless pets: animal shelters and animal rescues.
With shelter and rescue intake and outcome data, we’d have an accurate picture of the problem – data which we can use in advocating for more resources, such as spay and neuter funding, and data which we can use to measure progress along the way.
There are three definitions in current California law that define "rescues." We took an amendment in this Committee that narrows the definition to only 501(c)(3) rescues.
We have copied and pasted below the entire bill language if you'd like to read it in full.
In summary, the bill requires animal shelters and 501(c)(3) rescues to update their intake and outcome data on a quarterly basis and post it on their website. IF they don’t have a website, then they can make it available upon request. Lastly, all data should be posted/available for 5 years.
That’s it. That’s the bill. The requirements of the bill are simple and straightforward and apply equally to shelters and rescues. Current California law treats shelters and rescues equally in at least nine states laws. This is not novel.
To clear up a rumor we have heard circulating about the bill. The bill does NOT require the use of Shelter Animal Count nor any particular software. It encourages the use of a spreadsheet, but that’s only an encouragement.
Compliance can be as simple as posting the link to a Google Spreadsheet or a PDF on a website or Facebook page that simply lists the total number of dogs and cats taken in and their outcome. Despite the claims of opposition, this really is not a difficult task.
There have also been calls to include the number of stray dogs and cats that shelters turn away. We understand the sentiment behind this request, but shelters are violating current law by turning away stray animals. Therefore, we do not want to implicitly condone this behavior by requiring it to be reportable.
We are disheartened that after our years of advocacy we are being accused of advocating for some kind of monstrous bill to ruin animal rescues. The subject line of the opposition's email read, "AB 631 Threatens California Animal Rescues and Impacts Families."
We will continue to engage those that have concerns about AB 631, but hope that the bill does not continue to be misconstrued or misrepresented to all of you.
To reiterate, this bill will help us understand the scope of the problem, which will help us advocate for the tools to help solve it.
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AB-631 Animals: animal shelters: transparency.(2025-2026)
SECTION 1.
Section 32004 is added to the Food and Agricultural Code, immediately following Section 32003, to read:
32004.
(a) For purposes of this section, “animal shelter” means a public animal control agency or shelter, society for the prevention of cruelty to animals shelter, humane society shelter, or rescue group.
(1) For purposes of this section, “rescue group” is a not-for-profit entity whose primary purpose is the placement of dogs, cats, or other animals that have been removed from a public animal control agency or shelter, society for the prevention of cruelty to animals shelter, or humane society shelter, or that have been surrendered or relinquished to the entity by the previous owner.
(c) An animal shelter shall collect and record all of the following information:
(1) The number of animals taken in with separate categories for dogs, cats, and other animals.
(2) The source of intake separated by category, including, but not limited to, stray animals, surrendered by owner, or transferred from another animal shelter.
(3) The outcomes for all animals separated by category, including, but not limited to, returned to owner, adopted, transferred to another organization, euthanized, died in care, or dead upon arrival.
(d) The information required to be collected and recorded pursuant to subdivision (b) shall be updated at least once per quarter and shall be handled as follows:
(1) If an animal shelter has an internet website, the animal shelter shall post the information on its internet website and the information shall remain publicly accessible on the internet website for at least five years.
(2) If an animal shelter does not have an internet website, the animal shelter shall make the information publicly available, upon request, for at least five years.
(e) Animal shelters with local contracts for animal care are encouraged to make the information available in a downloadable spreadsheet format that may include, but is not limited to, a comma-separated values file or a tab-separated values file and that is compatible with a spreadsheet software application that is widely used at the time of the posting.
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