Although summer is typically difficult for animal shelters and rescues, this year is the worst one in ten years. Surrender of pets is far faster than their adoption rate. Shelters, from Arizona’s desert to New York City, are full and must cease intakes or euthanize animals for space. The Dodo discussed the shelter problem and what others may do to assist rescues all throughout the nation.
“We constantly had open areas in our shelter when I first arrived nine years ago. Now, Natalie Thomson, chief communications officer of Stray Rescue of St. Louis (SRSL), told The Dodo, we occupy areas roughly in 90 seconds. ” Saying ‘no’ to an animal in need is one of the hardest things in the world, but you have to if there is physically no place to put them.”
The volume of pets turned in or returned overwhelms East Coast shelters like Animal Care Center of NYC (NYC ACC). Manisha Shah, a NYC ACC volunteer, clarified how greater damage could result from freezes in shelter capacity and intake.
“What happens when shelters tell folks, ‘We can’t take your dog?’ Here is when strays enter the picture, Shah informed The Dodo. People are abandoning their dogs in areas include tying them outside the police station, placing them in a box in a park, etc.
At maximum capacity, Washington, D.C.’s shelters are also freezing intake. Executive producer at The Dodo Joanna Zelman claims there are several causes behind the DMV region’s crisis.
“At least here in D.C., it’s a two-fold issue: people are not being given the support to keep pets in the home, especially the elderly, and there is not enough funding to support bigger shelters,” Zelman said The Dodo.
By aiding neighbors especially the elderly who run the danger of losing their dogs due to financial and physical hardships, organizations like PAWS NY are addressing this situation.
Usually jumping to welcome any animal in need is animal shelters like Dodge County Humane Society (DCHS). But the capacity shortage this year has also caused them to completely stop accepting fresh applicants.
Our goal is animal assistance. But what happens when we just lack space? On Facebook, DCHS posted. “There is simply no space to assist those in need with kennels full. Right now, DCHS cannot assist in an emergency. This renders us unable to carry out our goals and might result in hundreds of animals devoid of any [resources].
To fit its growing number of occupants, another Aiken, South Carolina, shelter has set odd rooming arrangements.
Friends of the Animal Shelter – FOTAS Aiken, posted on Facebook, “The Aiken County Animal Shelter is at full capacity and we are doubling dogs in our kennels.”
Although adoption fees have been waived at the Aiken County Animal Shelter and other shelters and rescues, adoptions cannot keep up with the volume of stray and turned-in animals arriving. Rebound Hounds Rescue (RHR) is one of the rescues promoting adoptable pups all over social media; even puppies are not attracting much attention.
Among their residents who have been searching for a home all year is Tessa, a six-month-old puppy.
“We’ve never had perfectly adoptable dogs wait this long,” RHR said on Instagram. Though they usually find homes quite fast, even puppies are waiting longer than usual right now. Black dogs especially.
Sadly, shelters all around the nation have to kill animals to provide room for others.
Of the 6.5 million animals that entered the Shelter Animals Count’s system for rescue and shelter, 4.8 million were adopted. Sadly, before they found homes, 850,000 animals died.
“Non-live results for dogs have clearly increased in recent years,” Shelter Animals Count noted on their website. Though more slowly, cats are also seeing an increase in non-live results.
Shared with The Dodo, Shelter Animals Count’s mid-year analysis report for 2024 shows declining numbers of intakes and adoptions from previous year.
Shelter Animals Count reported that pet admission has dropped in the first half of 2024, with almost five [percent] less dogs and cats entering shelters than in the same period previous year. “But while intakes are lower than last year, adoptions are also down; populations are growing and animals are staying longer.”
Best Friends claim that if just a small portion of the population choose to adopt rather than buy a pet, euthanasia may be completely stopped.
“The truth is that in the next year, about 7 million American houses intend to include a pet into the family. Should just six percent more of those households decide to adopt rather than buy, we would stop the killing of dogs and cats in the shelters of our country. This problem is solvable in that manner.
Thomson says the greatest method to assist ease the overcrowding situation is to locate foster and adoptive homes for shelter animals. Those who cannot adopt or foster can still be of assistance by giving to their neighbourhood shelters or offering their time.
“You can volunteer in a shelter even if you cannot bring an animal home at all, even momentarily,” Thomson advised. Every single contact these dogs have makes them happier, contented, and results in a far faster adoption. Every hour that one donates transforms their life.
Shelters all throughout the nation are drowning in an ocean of unadopted animals regardless of their location. Although navigating this issue has been agonizing, staff workers and volunteers hope the public can unite to assist underprivileged animals in their local areas.
