The Bartholomew County Humane Society is notifying the public the shelter is full and is seeking help through social media.
”We’re just overwhelmed,” said BCHS customer care manager Terry Turner. “And we know it’s getting worse.”
The most immediate problem is inflationhas left too many people unable to feed their pets or provide veterinary care, Turner said.
At the end of the first quarter of the year, Turner said the humane society took in 215 dogs and cats. That’s a 22% increase from the 176 brought in during the same three months last year, he said.
“We are at maximum capacity now,” Turner said.
Of the nine dogs brought in during the last two weeks, only two have been claimed by an owner, Turner said. While many are classified as strays, the customer care manager said most Humane Society staff members suspect that several have actually been dumped and abandoned.
In an effort to keep pets in homes and out of shelters, the Humane Society has “Thor’s Pantry,” where free animal food is provided each Wednesday from 3 to 5 p.m, as well as from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on the last Saturday of every month.
But supply is having difficulty keeping up with demand. The number of people relying on the pantry rose to 447 by the end of the first quarter. That’s up 75% from the 256 clients last summer, according to BCHS records.
Not all of the news coming out of the Humane Society is negative. First quarter adoptions are up 46% compared to last year, Turner said.
“We are also blessed to have people in the community that will foot the bill for the additional amount to provide low-cost adoptions,” he said. “Right now, it’s $16 for a dog.”
However, there are other factors keeping overcrowding at animal shelters the norm, rather than the exception, according to one of the Humane Society’s longest-serving volunteers.
Retired teacher Cheryl Zuckschwerdt-Ellsbury says the issue of having a pet spayed or neutered is “an edgy subject” for many local residents. Turner agrees, adding he frequently hears people say that having a pet fixed will “take the spark” out of them.
But the American Veterinary Medical Association says that’s not true.
Spaying female dogs and cats can prevent uterine infection and reduce the risk of breast cancer, the AVMA website states. The organization also says neutering males can eliminate their risk of testicular cancer and lower the chances of developing enlarge prostate glands.
“It stops conditions that can shorten their lives,” Turner said. “But we have a lot of push-back. It’s the old mentality.”
Zuckschwerdt-Ellsbury, who has worked with the Humane Society most years since it was founded in 1971, says another reason for overpopulation came after many people adopted pets while in isolation during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.
“But when people resumed their normal activities and went back to working outside the home, the pet was going to be the first to leave,” Zuckschwerdt-Ellsbury said. “What are we doing with an animal shelter full of animals that once had a home – and now don’t?”
Some traditional rural attitudes about canines have also contributed to overcrowding, such as dogs should be able to roam free, the retired teacher said.
While many animal shelters send dogs and cats out-of-state to communities that don’t have a pet overpopulation problem, Zuckschwerdt-Ellsbury said it doesn’t take long before those cities and towns also run out of room.
“I’m glad there are advocates who have taken a stance for the welfare of the animal,” she said. “But along with that, if you don’t do some education or put some money into ways to inform the public of better ways of dealing with overpopulation, we will not gain much of anything.”
