Our ‘Long Stay, No Longer’ Initiative Is Helping Shelter Dogs Find Homes Faster

 

When breed mix, health, and relatives are a mystery, adopting a shelter dog can feel daunting. For many pet parents, that uncertainty is enough to make them hesitate. And for the dogs? It can mean impossibly long shelter stays — sometimes lasting years.

We’re determined to turn that around.

In 2025, we launched Long Stay, No Longer, a revolutionary initiative that uses DNA testing to help long-term shelter residents get adopted faster. As of March 2026, the results have been so encouraging, we couldn’t wait to share:

After waiting an average of 1.5 years in shelter care, 1 in 2 Long Stay, No Longer dogs found homes within just 10 weeks of receiving their DNA results.

How DNA testing helps shelter dogs get adopted

At Embark, we’ve long seen how DNA insights can help speed up adoption and give shelters and rescues the tools to make better placement decisions. When organizations understand a dog’s breed mix, behavioral tendencies, health risks, and even relatives, they can make more informed placement decisions. And when adopters have that same insight, they can picture life together — and say “yes” with confidence.

With Long Stay, No Longer, we focused that power where it was needed most: dogs who’ve been overlooked for far too long.

Through our Shelter & Rescue Program partners, we provided free DNA tests for 75 long-stay shelter pups, enabling shelters to confidently tell a richer, clearer story about each dog — helping the right families recognize their perfect match.

What’s the impact?

It all adds up to more forever homes for more deserving pups.

How it works

We make it simple for shelters to help adopters find the right fit.

  • Nominate — Partner shelters nominate long-stay dogs once per quarter.
  • Test — Embark provides free DNA test kits for selected dogs.
  • Swab & send — Shelters perform a quick cheek swab and mail the sample to our lab.
  • Get results — Insights arrive in about two weeks, ready to share with potential adopters.
  • Amplify — We help tell these dogs’ stories through social sharing to reach even more families.