The San Diego Humane Society ran out of kennel space in its main San Diego campus last week, which forced the organization to split up a mass intake of dogs, with some transferred to its El Cajon campus.
The Humane Society is not alone. The other prominent animal welfare organization in the region, San Diego County Department of Animal Services, is facing similar overcrowding.
County shelters typically only have 300 or 400 animals at a time. In the summer, its busiest season when kittens and puppies enter the kennels, they might hold 600 animals at maximum. And “that would be really way more than we can easily accommodate,” said Dr. Brieana Sarvis, department director.
However, last Friday, the county far exceeded even that high, with 1,080 animals in its shelters.
“That’s just a really big pull from all of our efforts,” Sarvis said. “The more animals you have in care in general, even if it’s rabbits and birds, that affects your ability to adopt out the more routine animals like dogs because it pulls time away from staff and from our adoption efforts.”
The staggering numbers of animals in shelters can be attributed in part to a spate of mass intakes from local rescues and surrenders since May. They include:
- The Villa Chardonnay rescue, May 1 – 728 neglected animals rescued by the Humane Society from a Julian property. Some are ready for adoption, including 12 dogs and 41 horses.
- The Rancho Santa Fe rescue, June 18 – 38 animals, including equines and dogs, taken in by the county. The animals are not up for adoption during a pending court case.
- The record-breaking Valley Center rescue, July 16 – The county conducted a search warrant on a property after a tip that animals were sick. Officials rescued 820 birds and two dogs. The animals are not adoptable at this stage in the case.
- Yorkies surrendered, July 28 – An overwhelmed breeder surrendered 25-30 Yorkies to the Humane Society, starting with eight that were adopted quickly.
- Huskies surrendered,, July 28 – A pet owner facing eviction called in 25 huskies to the Humane Society. The dogs show signs of fear, and need behavior training before being put up for adoption.
- Linda Vista dogs surrendered, Aug.4 – A Linda Vista pet owner facing eviction gave up nine dogs to the Humane Society, pushing its San Diego kennel to capacity.
The San Diego Humane Society (SDHS) has close to 2,000 animals in its care, including 769 dogs. Of those, 361 dogs and 15 puppies are available for adoption. Despite slashing adoption fees in half, adoption rates fell last week.
“We are just overwhelmed with dogs,” said Nina Thompson, spokesperson for SDHS.
In addition, those mass intakes come during a hectic time of year, as puppies and kittens flood shelters.
“This time of year is always the busiest time of year, so it was the least good time for this to happen,” Sarvis said.
Over-filled shelters mean organizations must get creative to house animals.
The county transferred equines to partners to make way for hundreds of ducks and geese. Those birds in turn are staying in horse corrals and other areas where dogs usually “hung out,” Sarvis said.
To cope, the Humane Society sets up emergency kennels in warehouses, splits kennels, or puts social dogs in kennels together.
“Any time we’re over capacity, then each individual animal is getting less care than we would provide, and possibly also staying with us in housing that’s not up to our standard housing,” Thompson said.
The crowded conditions can add stress and make behaviors worse, according to Sarvis, which in turn makes adoption harder. In the case of the county, behavior problems can lead to euthanasia. The Humane Society does not euthanize for behavior, but that can stretch resources thin when animals are not adoptable.
“It’s getting harder and harder for us to stay at zero euthanasia,” Thompson said of the Humane Society. “We are committed to staying at that number.”
Both Sarvis and Thompson blame the economy and the housing crisis for why they are so burdened, especially when it comes to large dogs.
“It’s incredibly expensive to live in San Diego to begin with,” Thompson said.
Veterinarian costs have a two-fold impact. Procedures to spay and neuter pets are expensive unless done through low-cost programs at the Humane Society and county. Those who are struggling may skip the procedures, leading to more puppies and kittens being born now – and more strain on animal welfare organizations later.
Other times, people surrender sick animals because they can’t afford veterinary care.
“Large dog—it’s mostly a large-dog problem that we have in San Diego—is resultant from economic hardship,” Sarvis said. “People are having more and more trouble caring for their pets, paying for veterinary care, obtaining spay and neuter.”
Housing is a piece of that economic puzzle. When people short on cash move, they may only find a living situation with no pets allowed. The Humane Society is receiving more large dogs frequently on pet breed restriction lists, like shepherds, huskies and pit bull mixes.
“Any type of restrictions from landlords can be very impactful on people’s ability to keep their pets,” Sarvis said. “We see situations like that all the time, unfortunately, where they just can’t live in the place that they need to live, with the animals that they have.”
Expenses such as housing and veterinary care also make some people hesitant to adopt pets at all. That leaves more animals in shelters for longer.
“We’re struggling. We are really struggling right now, especially when it comes to our dog population,” Thompson said.
