While animal shelters are usually filled with dogs and cats in mid-summer, “it does feel worse this year,” shelter officials said.
Animal Care Services (ACS) of Columbus General Manager Nicohl Birdwell Goodin said that describes the shelter she manages, as well as others.
From July 1 through July 27, ACS had 29 cats surrendered by the owner. That’s far fewer surrenders than the 59 felines brought in during the same period of time last year. However, 46 stray cats were brought in this month, compared to only 13 a year earlier.
Five dogs were handed over to ACS by their owners from July 1 through July 27, compared to 12 last year. But 31 stray dogs were brought in this month, compared to 24 during the same time span in 2020.
On social media, the shelter says its Arnold Street facility is “bursting at the seams.”
Bartholomew County Humane Society shelter Director Kirsten VantWoud describes her organization’s capacity as “really, really full.”
A concentrated Trap-Neuter-Return program reduced the number of cats and kittens coming in, but the humane society shelter on County Road 200S is nearing maximum capacity for dogs, VantWoud said.
Bartholomew County Animal Control Officer Mark Case said 10 of the 17 stray dogs his staff picked up in June were reclaimed. But after the July 4th holiday weekend, more than 30 stray canines found their way to the humane society shelter, VantWoud said. Although many of these dogs were wearing collars, VantWoud says few called her organization to inquire about missing pets.
“We post them on print and social media, and the lack of response has been very surprising to us,” she said. “We’re not used to having strays that don’t get reclaimed or at least don’t have some interest.”
This same scenario is being played out at shelters all across Indiana, with the problem appearing to be tied to the economy and the pandemic.
“We suspect that’s the reason why folks haven’t come to reclaim pets,” VantWoud said. “I’m not suggesting they are turning them loose on purpose, but it may be one of those things that, when they disappear, the owner feels the animal has been taxing the budget anyway.”
When the economy took a dramatic downturn last year, many animal shelters, including ACS, instituted a wait list for pet owners wanting to surrender their animals.
“We try to be the last resort for people bringing in their animals just because we have limited space,” Goodin said. “Maybe they have friends or family willing to take care of the animal. We just want them to look at other options.”
Financial difficulties that have an impact on the population of animal shelters are nothing new, Case said.
“At the end of every month, you can just count on people dumping dogs,” Case said. “That’s because they are either getting evicted, or they are out of a job and out of money. That’s been true since the first day I started this job.”
Although animal shelters have relied on low-cost spay and neuter clinics to keep the domestic animal population under control, many were unavailable to a public that was largely in self-isolation last year. So far, only a few south central Indiana organizations have resumed these serves, Goodin said.
That may be tied to the fact that most public fundraisers that help pay for low-cost animal care were also canceled or postponed in 2020.
On top of that, the mating season for cats started earlier than usual this year, with a second feline population surge now underway that is likely to continue until early fall, Goodin says.
But these problems are not going to last indefinitely.
Several individuals and families stepped up to adopt or foster a pet from ACS last year when the pandemic was keeping many families at home, Goodin said. But many people are now preoccupied with outdoor activities, vacations and long-overdue visits to family this summer, she said.
The animal population usually subsides and pet adoptions usually go up when cooler fall weather arrives, Goodin said.
To help get the animal population under control, the city shelter cut its adoption fees in half during July.
Actual numbers for each shelter remain fluid as some strays are sent to other communities where they may find a permanent home while others are sent to foster care or to medical care.
The Humane Society is reporting success in finding new homes for cats and kittens at its off-site adoption locations such as Pet Supplies Plus in Columbus, Petsense in Seymour and the Nine Lives Cat Cafe in Indianapolis, VanWoud said. The Humane Society reported 58 adoptions this month, compared to the same period last year.
Animal rescue groups have stepped forward in an effort to try to find foster or permanent homes for some shelter animals. Some well-known organizations include Community Animal Rescue Effort, Happy Labs Rescue, Inc. and the Litter Box Kitty Rescue, Inc. of Taylorsville.
Because animals in a home are less stressed and kept away from infectious diseases carried by other cats and dogs,”fosters save lives,” Goodin said.
