Life-Saving Statistics & Impact
MAC is the 5th largest shelter in Tennessee and the only open-admission shelter serving the cities of Chattanooga, Red Bank, and Lakesite, meaning we never turn away critically ill or injured animals, those with behavioral challenges, or other at-risk pets. In 2025, we experienced an 11% increase in the number of animals coming into our care, and despite that added demand, our lifesaving rate rose from 83% to 86%, a huge win for both our organization and the community we serve.
Beware of shelter statistics, they’re not always comparing apples-to-apples! Believe it or not, there is no universal method shelters use to calculate their annual statistics. Best Friends Animal Sanctuary uses a “Save Rate” which divides “Total Intake” minus “Non-Live Outcomes” by “Total Intake”. ASPCA uses a “Raw Data” calculation which divides “Live Outcomes” by “Total Intake”. The National Federation of Humane Societies (NFHS) uses “Live Release Rate” which divides “Total Live Outcomes” by “Total Outcomes” minus “Owner Requested Euthanasia” minus “Died” or “Lost in Shelter Care”.
Here at MAC we use a modified version of the NHFS Live Release Rate but we do not remove animals “Died” or “Lost in Shelter Care”, because we believe those figures are an important part of the transparency we owe the public. The bottom line is that because there is no single reporting mechanism there really is no way to compare shelters just based on statistics reporting alone; instead, shelters should be assessed based on the quality of care they provide the animals, the scope of services they provide to the public, and their commitment implementing progressive programs and initiatives designed to support both.
To learn more about Sheltering words, phrases and definitions, we recommend reading the Shelter Animals Count Glossary.
Here’s how varied MAC’s 2024 numbers can be using each of these various formulas:
Quite a difference! The bottom line is that because there is no single reporting mechanism there really no way to compare shelters just based on statistics reporting alone; instead, shelters should be assessed based on the quality of care they provide the animals, the scope of services they provide to the public, and their commitment implementing progressive programs and initiatives designed to support both.
Contact Us
McKamey Animal Center
4500 N. Access Rd.
Chattanooga, TN 37415
(423) 305-6500
hello@mckameyanimalcenter.org
McKamey Animal Center was founded in 2008, serving the pets and people of the cities of Chattanooga, Red Bank and Lakesite, Tennessee. MAC is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit charitable organization.
