Whether you’re planning a new building or trying to optimize your animal flow in an existing facility, getting housing and animal numbers right is a critical component. Too few housing units and there’s not enough time to provide the care animals need. Too many and costs and workload skyrocket with no payoff in terms of increased life saving. Use these calculators to model different scenarios to help you hit your “just right” sweet spot where you have the housing you need to get every animal to the best possible outcome with the greatest possible efficiency. Note these calculators are a work in progress – let us know how you like them and if they generate any ideas or questions for you!
Length of Stay Calculator
Use this calculator to determine your target length of stay, taking into account the estimated percentage of animals that will move pretty quickly and those that will need a little more time and care, aka Fast and Slow Trackers.
https://app.calculoid.com/#/calculator/70233/
Housing Number Calculator
Provides a quick look at how many housing units will be needed for a given rate of throughput, taking into account that juveniles (litters of kittens and puppies) will often be co-housed.
https://app.calculoid.com/#/calculator/70270/
Length of Stay Predictor
This calculator will tell you what the overall average length of stay (LOS) will be for a given number of adoptions and number of animals housed, and will also tell you what the average LOS will be for slow track animals based on the number of animals housed and the average LOS of fast trackers.
https://app.calculoid.com/#/calculator/70236/
Basic Animal Care Time Requirement Calculator
Although 15 minutes per animal has been recommended as a basic requirement for all shelter animals, in truth this number will vary quite a bit depending on the animal’s particular needs. As many shelters are seeing lower intake but an increasing percentage of higher need animals, this calculator will help you visualize how that can impact staffing needs.