Did you know that nearly half of the animal shelters in the United States are now no-kill? That is just one of many encouraging discoveries in the Best Friends 2020 National Dataset.

Each year, Best Friends undertakes this massive data collection and compilation effort to measure lifesaving progress towards the no-kill 2025 goal. It is the most comprehensive, accurate dataset tracking sheltered dogs and cats in the United States. It shows us what’s happening at the national level and provides us data on individual communities. Other critical data points such as what is happening to cats and dogs are also collected and shared.

What does the data tell us about what happened in 2020? Have we been able to continue the downward trend in shelter deaths? How much did COVID-19 pandemic play a role, and what do we think will happen next year? We spoke with the director of business and intelligence for Best Friends, Vicki Kilmer, to find out.