🍁 It's the first day of Autumn! Around here, we track the seasons through our changing frozen yogurt flavors.

🌤️Today's weather: Coast — Cloudy, then sunny, high 73; Inland — Cloudy, then sunny, high 79

🎧 Sounds like: "Martha My Dear" by The Beatles

🥂 Bring a friend — or make a few new ones. Join 900+ Axios readers going to dinner across the country (here, in Little Italy) on Oct. 6. Pull up a chair.

• Claire: I have a babysitter secured and will be there!

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Today's newsletter is 1,068 words — a 4-minute read.

Animal shelters here 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 several 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.

Scroll for other ways to help

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.

Tell a dog lover

More than 1,050 migrants died within range of border surveillance towers over the last 10 years, an MIT Technology Review investigation found.

• The cameras are meant to spot border crossers, and if they worked properly, should have found people before they died. (Times of San Diego)

🏖️ Grandview Beach access closed after part of an Encinitas bluff collapsed last last week. That's just south of the site where three people were killed in a 2019 collapse. (10News)

📚 The Ocean Beach Library closed for a $14.45 million renovation and expansion. The century-old branch will stay shuttered until summer 2028.

• Holds are going to the Point Loma/Hervey Library, but some programs are staying in OB. (Times of San Diego)

🪷 The Buddhist Temple of San Diego celebrated its 100th birthday. It's been guiding people in Shin Buddhism since 1926.(NBC 7)

Starting today, Torrey Pines will be largely closed again for the next six months.

• This is the second phase of construction that is meant to upgrade utilities, replace an old restroom building and improve accessibility, according to a California State Parks news release.

During the second phase, all trails, the Beach Trail Staircase, the Lodge and both upper parking lots will be closed.

• The reserve's road will also be closed to vehicles.
• Torrey Pines State Beach and the beach parking lots will stay open.

Everything is supposed to reopen in March 2027.

🥾 Here are some other coastal hikes to try while Torrey Pines is closed.

Tell a hiker

Early risers can spot three bright planets stretching across the morning sky for the rest of the month, and they won't need a telescope to see them.

• Saturn, Mars and Jupiter can all be seen, weather permitting, in September's early morning hours, per EarthSky.

How it works: The planets will spread in a long arc along the ecliptic — the path the Sun, Moon and planets follow — like lights strung across the sky.

• To see all three, head outside before dawn and scan from east to west: Jupiter will be the bright one in the east, followed by reddish Mars and Saturn farther west.

Tell a stargazer

🐾 Claire signed up to volunteer at the Humane Society.

👩🏻‍🍼 Kate is on parental leave.

This newsletter was edited by Geoff Ziezulewicz.