LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – During the height of the pandemic when everyone was quarantining at home and working remotely, pets were getting adopted at a rapid pace from animal shelters and rescue groups. People were lonely, in need of companionship, and looking to something to give their life purpose during a difficult time.
Unfortunately, that high rate of pet adoptions during the lockdowns has come to an abrupt end for a lot of animal shelters and rescue groups for many reasons including the fact that people’s lives are getting back to normal after the lockdowns and they are also facing economic challenges.
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The reason people surrender their pets to animal shelters are many and varied. In talking with animal shelters and rescue groups, these reasons include different things like not finding housing that accepts pets; a lack of money to pay for food and vet care; pet behavioral issues; homelessness; having to move after losing a job; pets not socialized enough; a cute puppy is now an adult, owner has too many animals and separation anxiety.
The time that animals are staying in the shelter is also increasing due to vet shortages which delays spaying, neutering and other medical care that holds up adoptions. Dogs are also staying at shelters longer while they are being trained so that they can overcome behavioral issues to get adopted.
Michigan pets are also having to compete with those from other states with more animals being transferred to the midwest from the south where overcrowding of shelters is much worse.
New adopters aren’t showing up to animal shelters to adopt pets because they can’t afford another mouth to feed or the increase in the cost of veterinary care. Potential adopters are also not having the time to meet the animals in the shelters because they aren’t going back to their pre-Covid hours and still have limited adoption times.
The usual slowness of summer adoptions also adds into the mix. The low adoption rates at shelters comes after years of shelters and rescues working together and networking at conferences to come up with ways to adopt out animals to get the state closer to a no-kill status with low euthanasia rates.
No-kill is a strategy in the animal rescue world that means saving every dog and cat that can be saved. It means that if the pet is without a behavior or physical issue that make them unadoptable, then they should be saved and not euthanized. It has been accepted in the animal rescue world that if an animal shelter can save 90% or more of the pets they take in, they are thought to be a “no-kill” shelter.
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However, after years of collaborating together with a high degree of success in moving Michigan to be a no-kill state, the shelters and rescues are facing more challenges again.
The Michigan Pet Alliance, a nonprofit organization representing Michigan’s animal welfare organizations and pet advocates, will be holding a Roundtable Forum on Michigan’s shelter crowding for Michigan shelters next month where they hope to better define what is happening and potential solutions.
June McGrath, founder of Traverse City’s AC PAW, a non-profit animal rescue organization, says that they’re getting a lot of calls and it’s difficult to keep up. The economy is definitely an issue. She said, “We have taken pets that people couldn’t continue to keep because of homelessness.”
Back when the animal rescue world really started working on transitioning the animal shelters to be no-kill shelters, pet euthanasias in Michigan were sitting at 118,369 in 2007. Fast forward to 2021 and that number was down to 6,289.
But there are still specific challenges in our state like Wayne county which was responsible for euthanizing 1401 dogs and 881 cats in 2021. Detroit Animal Care and Control specifically is using euthanasia as the solution to their overcrowding problems.
Nevertheless, in 2021, Michigan’s save rate was 86% with 92 of the 127 animal shelters qualifying as no-kill.
The animal shelters and rescue groups are hoping to hold onto that progress and use every available resource including networking, offering promotions, adoption events, having a strong social media presence, and other strategies.
So what can be done? There are long-standing strategies and new creative ways of dealing with high intakes and low adoption rates including community programs to help people keep their pets by utilizing pet food pantries, behavior training, low cost spay/neuter programs and other medical assistance.
Right now, animal shelters and rescue groups are taking advantage of something the Bissell Pet Foundation has done for years called “Empty the Shelters.” It’s the largest funded adoption event and it’s taking place July 11 through 31st. The event, which first started in 2016, offers discounted adoption rates with Bissell picking up most of the tab so that adopters don’t pay more than $50 per adoption.
You can find out more and see if your local shelter or rescue group is participating by visiting here.
If you are looking to adopt an animal or would like to donate to help animals in need, please call your local animal shelter or rescue organization.
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