From Laborers to Loved Ones: How the ASPCA Has Shaped Better Lives for Dogs

Dogs are the most popular companion animal in the United States, living in about half of all households and numbering an estimated 700 million to 1 billion worldwide. But that popularity comes with a price: In 2025, 2.8 million dogs entered U.S. shelters. That’s why the ASPCA and other animal welfare organizations around the globe promote Adopt a Shelter Dog Month each October. Since our founding, we have worked ceaselessly to expand opportunities and resources so more homeless dogs can get the help they need and the second chances they deserve.

From Wolves to Best Friends

Scientists have long been fascinated by the bond between humans and dogs, a relationship so enduring it’s no wonder dogs are called "man's best friend."

At first glance, it’s hard to believe that a towering Great Dane and a tiny Chihuahua are cut from the same genetic cloth. Like other dog breeds, both are domestic descendants of wolves, and beneath their extraordinary variation lies the same blueprint, anatomy and instincts that have defined Canis lupus familiaris for thousands of years.

Humans have spent a millennia fashioning dogs, the first animals to be domesticated and the most physically diverse species on the planet. More than 14,000 years ago, as people settled into villages and shifted to farming, an unlikely partnership developed. Wolves, drawn to humans’ food scraps and leftovers, lingered on the edges of these communities. Over time, wolves grew more comfortable around people, who began selectively breeding them for traits that suited their needs and preferences.

Standing Up for Dogs

Dogs have long served as hunters, herders and guardians, and by the time the ASPCA was founded in 1866, dogs were common working animals in cities, too. People who couldn't afford horses or donkeys used dogs to haul goods, turn treadmills and pull carts. In addition to protecting dogs from cruelty, ASPCA founder Henry Bergh helped pass a New York State law in 1867 requiring licenses for dogs used to pull carts, partly because the state legally considered them vehicles. Licensing also established ownership.

While the earliest licensing laws focused on dogs used as working animals, licensing requirements gradually expanded to include pet dogs as well. The ASPCA administered New York City's dog licensing program for roughly a century, and by the mid-20th century, licensed up to 250,000 dogs annually. The licensing fees helped support our animal sheltering and rescue work.

Investing in Lifesaving Work

The ASPCA’s early shelters — modeled after horse stables — housed dogs together in pens or enclosures. In the last five months of 1895, one year after assuming New York City’s animal care contract in 1894, the ASPCA took in more than 21,000 dogs.

Over the years, the ASPCA has continued to improve and expand our shelter capacity, provide rehabilitation services for fearful and abused dogs, transport dogs to communities where they have a better chance of adoption, offer low- and no-cost veterinary services, provide foster care and support other shelters with fee-waived adoption campaigns.

From Obedience Training to Behavior Science

In the 1920s, Americans first encountered trained dogs through film stars like Rin Tin Tin and, later, Toto and Lassie. In 1944, the ASPCA began conducting dog-obedience courses for the public. Dogs and owners trained together, a philosophy the ASPCA still embraces. By 1964, 20,000 owned dogs had participated in our obedience training.

With shelters struggling to care for so many animals, the ASPCA and other organizations began training shelter dogs to improve their adoption prospects in the 1970s. ASPCA CEO John F. Kullberg believed studying how animals behave in their natural environments was critical to understanding their needs, and he recruited people with academic backgrounds and training in behavior sciences. By 1984, the ASPCA had established a Companion Animal Services team and a Companion Animal Behavior Counseling Helpline, our first focused efforts to keep adopted pets in their homes.

The team also realized the benefit of getting shelter dogs out of their kennels. They began “office fostering,” bringing these dogs into their office areas to spend the day, sometimes alongside their personal pets or shelter dogs they were fostering at home. One area included a small kitchen, sofa and chairs and a coat tree. In this home-like atmosphere, dogs often rummaged through trash, lifted their legs on the coat tree or chewed on bookcases. Training staff would then have the opportunity to teach the dogs appropriate household manners.

The Companion Animal Behavior Counseling Helpline soon expanded beyond shelter staff to serve the general public. In 1987, the ASPCA began bringing shelter dogs to nursing homes and similar facilities to promote the human-animal bond. Along the way, staff started documenting each dog's behavior, noting traits such as "good with children" or "allows nail trimming and grooming" to help match animals with prospective adopters. In the early 1990s, the ASPCA began conducting dog assessments that helped lay the groundwork for the shelter behavior evaluations used today.

In 2021, we unveiled a “real-life room” at our Manhattan Adoption Center. The room resembles a home environment, giving shelter dogs a place to decompress and a quiet retreat where they can learn valuable skills that will set them up for success in a home.

Today, the ASPCA’s Behavioral Sciences and Behavioral Rehabilitation teams play a vital role in our work. We assess each animal in our care for their individual needs and provide in- and out-of-kennel enrichment, including playgroups for animals that enjoy the company of others. Those needing a little extra help receive critical behavior modification to help them eventually become cherished pets. The ASPCA ensures behavioral health is valued alongside physical health in preparing animals for adoption

The 1877 show featured 33 breeds (compared to 202 breeds in 2026) and a miscellaneous class “in which anything remotely resembling a dog was shown.” The ASPCA’s Twelfth Annual Report in 1878 called the show “unquestionably the most interesting display of the canine race ever seen in this country.” More than a century later, author, broadcaster and “the Voice of Westminster,” commentator Roger Caras, championed shelter dog adoption during his tenure as the 14^th president of the ASPCA, from 1991-1999.

Through October 31, Subaru is helping spread the word about The Rescue Effect, our national campaign dedicated to helping animals find loving homes. By adopting or fostering just one animal from a shelter, you help save many more!

Related stories in this ASPCA 160 series:

160 Years On, Our Founder’s Mission Still Stands Strong

Championing Spay/Neuter Helped Define ASPCA in the 20th Century and Beyond

Then and Now: How the ASPCA Protects Pets from Toxic Dangers

The Law That Launched a Movement for Animals

The ASPCA Turns 160: Celebrating Our History

Horses Are at the Heart of Our History

Nine Lives, One Calling: How the ASPCA Has Shaped Care for Cats

How the ASPCA Helped Change the Response to Dogfighting

How the ASPCA Is Expanding Access to Affordable Veterinary Care

Inside the ASPCA’s 160-Year Commitment to Disaster Response for Animals

Farm Animal Protection Is a Foundational ASPCA Priority