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Once an organization has identified pet ownership demographics and existing services, it is critical to then determine community needs. Organizations can develop their own process or adapt an existing one, such as the Pets for Life community assessment (Humane Society of the United States n.d.). Identifying the goal and scope of the community needs assessment will help determine the direction to take; the assessment can be comprehensive or more targeted. Organizations should begin by mining their own intake data to assess trends in relinquishment reasons and intake types or locations. However, intake data can tell only part of the story; organizations will benefit from conducting their own surveys, interviews, and focus groups targeted to understanding the unmet needs of pet owners. These data‐gathering efforts can be combined with efforts to identify pet ownership and demographic trends in the community for efficient data collection. Even informal conversations with relinquishing owners will yield a deeper understanding of ownership challenges than simple responses to questions in a form (DiGiacomo et al. 1998). Outreach should include not only pet owners but past owners as well as other agencies serving pets and owners. Information learned from these data‐gathering efforts, both formal and informal, when collected in a systematic and accessible way, will provide a comprehensive understanding of the community’s needs. Table 5.1 presents some options for information sources that can be used in program planning.