Man's best friends are desperately in need of a home to call their own.
In San Diego and across the United States, more dogs are being brought into animal shelters than are being reclaimed or adopted.
“About a year and a half ago everything slowed down,” said Dana Mikel, president of the North County-based nonprofit Animal Rescue Resource Foundation.
“So I get two, three phone calls a day (from) people (asking), ‘Can you take my dog? Can you take my dog?'” she said. “I think that's always been the case, but the shelters have always had room. Now they don't have room.”
Shelters, like those run by the San Diego County Department of Animal Services, are now at a critical stage of overcrowding at both their locations in Bonita and Carlsbad.
“We’re operating right around 97%-98% capacity on a daily basis,” said the department’s assistant director Carl Smith.
He’s concerned that many dogs are now staying longer than six months. It’s affecting larger breeds, like Huskies, the most.
“Any of our animals, specifically our dogs that are here over six months, they start to decline rapidly,” Smith said. “So we want to get those dogs out as fast as possible.”
The situation is similar at the San Diego Humane Society.
“We have never seen a year like 2023 before,” said the Humane Society’s Nina Thompson.
They set a record for the number of canines in their care last October — 757 dogs. That’s more than double the number of kennels they have.
“Right now 2024 is starting off at an alarming rate, so we're hoping the trend is going to change. But historically for San Diego Humane Society, we’ve never seen something like this,” Thompson said.
While all shelters in San Diego County will not kill a dog due to space or time constraints, the overcrowding can severely impact the dogs’ health.
But why is this happening? Smith has a theory based on anecdotal evidence.
“The economic conditions across the nation,” he said. “A lot of people are being forced to relocate into apartments that are not willing to accept pets. Plus the insurance for some breeds has become very difficult to get. The other issue is just the care for an animal, it's expensive.”
Forbes magazine said the average cost of a vet visit in California is about $72.
Thompson said another reason for the overcrowding may be the pause of spay and neuter clinics during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to more puppies being born.
With all the dogs short on space, Smith and Thompson are asking for help.
The best way to do so is by fostering or adopting a pooch, for people who have room in their hearts and homes.
