San Diego Humane Society dog crowding hits record high
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One of 23 Chihuahuas turned in at the animal shelter. Photo: Courtesy of San Diego Humane Society
Animal shelters in San Diego are overflowing with dogs.
The big picture: A combination of unspayed and unneutered dogs bought during COVID, rising veterinary costs and a challenging economy means more dogs are going in at the San Diego Humane Society than are coming out via adoption.
Driving the news: The shelter recently took in large groups of dogs from people who were evicted (23 Chihuahuas, 25 Yorkies and 25 huskies are a few recent examples).
- But the crowding existed long before that, Humane Society spokesperson Nina Thompson told Axios.
By the numbers: The shelter set a record for the number of adult dogs in its care in August — 766, up from 690 last August.
- It's currently at 162% capacity for dogs.
San Diego's high cost of living is a big reason why, Thompson said. People are moving away and can't take their dogs with them.
- People also are moving to apartment complexes that have prohibitions on large dogs, especially pit bulls and German shepherds.
- The Humane Society is pushing the city to pass a rule that would ban extra fees for pets, but that hasn't happened yet.
Follow the money: Rising veterinary costs also lead more people to not spay or neuter their dogs, which creates more dogs that are turned over to the shelters, Thompson said.
- If you buy a dog from a breeder or store, it's typically not spayed or neutered.
- Overall vet care costs have also doubled since before COVID, leading some people to turn pets in when they can't afford care, Thompson said.
- When microchipped stray dogs are picked up, shelter staff will reach out to the owner and sometimes won't get a response.
Threat level: It's against the law to have more than six dogs older than four months in a house unless you're a licensed kennel, so Thompson said she hopes people will reach out for help before they're evicted with a herd of dogs.
- The Humane Society can help with spaying and neutering for around $225 and would prefer to bring in dogs in a staggered form instead of getting 20 all at once.
- "Let us know the minute you hit a pain point," she said.
The bottom line: While adoption numbers are also up, they aren't keeping up with the dogs coming in at the Humane Society.
- To help, the nonprofit is lowering adoption fees to $50 for dogs and cats through the end of September.
If you can't adopt a dog, there are other ways to help.
🏠 Foster a pet: Even a few days or a week or two outside the shelter can help a stressed animal decompress, while giving staff a better sense of how the pet behaves in a home, Thompson said. The shelter pays for everything: food, supplies and medical care.
📣 Spread the word: Encourage friends, neighbors or family members who are considering a pet to adopt or rescue. Shelters and rescues have everything from puppies and kittens to popular breeds, she said.
🐕 Volunteer at the shelter: After training, volunteers can walk dogs, socialize cats and kittens, clean kennels and bowls, fold laundry and help with other shelter tasks.
👥 Organize a group service day: Corporate or community groups can sign up for one-day volunteer events.
🦮 Take a dog out for the day: The Dog Day Out program lets people give a shelter dog a break from its kennel for the day without going through the full volunteer training process.
