Rise in Family Pets Entering Animal Shelters

I read a troubling article in my local newspaper siting statistics about the rise in animal shelter populations as a result of the economic downturn.  Both of my cats , Bingo & Chloe, are shelter kitties that we rescued, and they have been wonderful companions. We love them dearly. So I have a soft spot in my heart for the plight of animal shelters and their inhabitants.

The article indicates that our local Humane Society shelter (Indiana) is at full capacity, seeing a 59% increase in surrendered pets over the past two years.  Locally in November and December almost 600 animals were surrendered and 80% of the owners blamed the struggling economy.

I did some investigating and found that this is a growing problem throughout the country.

Shelters have varying policies on facility capacity and length of time they can keep an animal ~ but fortunately our local shelter will not turn any animal away regardless of how full they get.  I’ve heard that this is one of the reasons why this shelter is so full. Residents know that they are a no-kill shelter, which makes them feel better about their decision to surrender their pet.

The growing problem seems to be that families are forced to choose between feeding their family and feeding their pets.

Surrendering pets to shelters is not ideal, because pets have trouble adjusting to shelter life, and they often become depressed and agressive.

Many shelters offer promotions in order to reduce the barriers to pet adoption. In December, our Humane Society shelter found homes for more than 200 pets. When they find a home for one pet, it actually helps two.  It frees up space for another animal to live.

Even if you cannot adopt a pet, there are still many needs that pet shelters need. Your local Humane Society or other pet shelter probably has a website where you can find a list of their needs.

The Humane Society of the United States – http://www.hsus.org/

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