Friends, I am new to the world of rescue, and volunteering with shelters and rescues in the Midwest.  I am hearing from people all over the country that shelters and rescues are overwhelmed with animals right now.  The Covid-19 Pandemic seems to be what people are pointing to, and that it is animals adopted during this time that are being surrendered. This does not seem to explain the explosion of puppies and kittens.  What am I missing?  I need to help the non-rescue world we are trying to recruit to help volunteer, foster, etc. I want them to understand how this happened and what we need to do to get back to what was a "normal" level of intake.  Thanks in advance.

So from what I have seen, this is a culmination of multiple factors coming together to create a crisis:

• A recent study was released documenting roughly 2.7 million missed spay/neuter surgeries during the early days of the pandemic, when elective surgeries were mandatorily put on hold by states, and spay/neuter fell into that category. The impact of those additional births obviously has exponential impact. https://sheltermedicine.vetmed.ufl.edu/2022/09/13/impact-on-spay-neuter-surgeries-due-to-covid-19-pandemic-threatens-pet-overpopulation/
• An ongoing veterinary shortage- meaning that even though we can do more s/n again, there are not enough people out there to do it in the high quality, high volume way our industry requires. 
• Overall economic insecurity and inflation. The resumption of evictions.
• Fewer pet-friendly housing options, particularly for young people who may considering adopting, but cannot have certain breeds or certain sizes of dogs in their home.
• A reduction in the number of animals moving through non-profit organizations in many communities, with a disproportionate burden being placed on the  municipal shelters. https://www.shelteranimalscount.org/organization-types-2022-analysis/

Interested to hear what others feel about this issue as well!

Friends, I am new to the world of rescue, and volunteering with shelters and rescues in the Midwest.  I am hearing from people all over the country that shelters and rescues are overwhelmed with animals right now.  The Covid-19 Pandemic seems to be what people are pointing to, and that it is animals adopted during this time that are being surrendered. This does not seem to explain the explosion of puppies and kittens.  What am I missing?  I need to help the non-rescue world we are trying to recruit to help volunteer, foster, etc. I want them to understand how this happened and what we need to do to get back to what was a "normal" level of intake.  Thanks in advance.

Alexis this was a really great answer - thank you (there were several on there I hadn't been thoughtful enough about contributing to the current population issue). 

I also heard one of the reps from PetHealth (who own PetPoint) say in some session that research coming out of the private veterinary world indicates that younger generations (I assume Millennials and Gen Z) are getting dogs from breeders in higher numbers than was true for Gen X. I have been desperately trying to put my hands on this data since then (it was over a year ago!), but can't find public research to that end. That said, if it's true, it's definitely a moment for shelters to figure out *why* that might be true - why might we be losing that generation?

So from what I have seen, this is a culmination of multiple factors coming together to create a crisis:

• A recent study was released documenting roughly 2.7 million missed spay/neuter surgeries during the early days of the pandemic, when elective surgeries were mandatorily put on hold by states, and spay/neuter fell into that category. The impact of those additional births obviously has exponential impact. https://sheltermedicine.vetmed.ufl.edu/2022/09/13/impact-on-spay-neuter-surgeries-due-to-covid-19-pandemic-threatens-pet-overpopulation/
• An ongoing veterinary shortage- meaning that even though we can do more s/n again, there are not enough people out there to do it in the high quality, high volume way our industry requires. 
• Overall economic insecurity and inflation. The resumption of evictions.
• Fewer pet-friendly housing options, particularly for young people who may considering adopting, but cannot have certain breeds or certain sizes of dogs in their home.
• A reduction in the number of animals moving through non-profit organizations in many communities, with a disproportionate burden being placed on the  municipal shelters. https://www.shelteranimalscount.org/organization-types-2022-analysis/

Interested to hear what others feel about this issue as well!

Friends, I am new to the world of rescue, and volunteering with shelters and rescues in the Midwest.  I am hearing from people all over the country that shelters and rescues are overwhelmed with animals right now.  The Covid-19 Pandemic seems to be what people are pointing to, and that it is animals adopted during this time that are being surrendered. This does not seem to explain the explosion of puppies and kittens.  What am I missing?  I need to help the non-rescue world we are trying to recruit to help volunteer, foster, etc. I want them to understand how this happened and what we need to do to get back to what was a "normal" level of intake.  Thanks in advance.

So from what I have seen, this is a culmination of multiple factors coming together to create a crisis:

• A recent study was released documenting roughly 2.7 million missed spay/neuter surgeries during the early days of the pandemic, when elective surgeries were mandatorily put on hold by states, and spay/neuter fell into that category. The impact of those additional births obviously has exponential impact. https://sheltermedicine.vetmed.ufl.edu/2022/09/13/impact-on-spay-neuter-surgeries-due-to-covid-19-pandemic-threatens-pet-overpopulation/
• An ongoing veterinary shortage- meaning that even though we can do more s/n again, there are not enough people out there to do it in the high quality, high volume way our industry requires. 
• Overall economic insecurity and inflation. The resumption of evictions.
• Fewer pet-friendly housing options, particularly for young people who may considering adopting, but cannot have certain breeds or certain sizes of dogs in their home.
• A reduction in the number of animals moving through non-profit organizations in many communities, with a disproportionate burden being placed on the  municipal shelters. https://www.shelteranimalscount.org/organization-types-2022-analysis/

Interested to hear what others feel about this issue as well!

Friends, I am new to the world of rescue, and volunteering with shelters and rescues in the Midwest.  I am hearing from people all over the country that shelters and rescues are overwhelmed with animals right now.  The Covid-19 Pandemic seems to be what people are pointing to, and that it is animals adopted during this time that are being surrendered. This does not seem to explain the explosion of puppies and kittens.  What am I missing?  I need to help the non-rescue world we are trying to recruit to help volunteer, foster, etc. I want them to understand how this happened and what we need to do to get back to what was a "normal" level of intake.  Thanks in advance.

So from what I have seen, this is a culmination of multiple factors coming together to create a crisis:

• A recent study was released documenting roughly 2.7 million missed spay/neuter surgeries during the early days of the pandemic, when elective surgeries were mandatorily put on hold by states, and spay/neuter fell into that category. The impact of those additional births obviously has exponential impact. https://sheltermedicine.vetmed.ufl.edu/2022/09/13/impact-on-spay-neuter-surgeries-due-to-covid-19-pandemic-threatens-pet-overpopulation/
• An ongoing veterinary shortage- meaning that even though we can do more s/n again, there are not enough people out there to do it in the high quality, high volume way our industry requires. 
• Overall economic insecurity and inflation. The resumption of evictions.
• Fewer pet-friendly housing options, particularly for young people who may considering adopting, but cannot have certain breeds or certain sizes of dogs in their home.
• A reduction in the number of animals moving through non-profit organizations in many communities, with a disproportionate burden being placed on the  municipal shelters. https://www.shelteranimalscount.org/organization-types-2022-analysis/

Interested to hear what others feel about this issue as well!

Friends, I am new to the world of rescue, and volunteering with shelters and rescues in the Midwest.  I am hearing from people all over the country that shelters and rescues are overwhelmed with animals right now.  The Covid-19 Pandemic seems to be what people are pointing to, and that it is animals adopted during this time that are being surrendered. This does not seem to explain the explosion of puppies and kittens.  What am I missing?  I need to help the non-rescue world we are trying to recruit to help volunteer, foster, etc. I want them to understand how this happened and what we need to do to get back to what was a "normal" level of intake.  Thanks in advance.

So from what I have seen, this is a culmination of multiple factors coming together to create a crisis:

• A recent study was released documenting roughly 2.7 million missed spay/neuter surgeries during the early days of the pandemic, when elective surgeries were mandatorily put on hold by states, and spay/neuter fell into that category. The impact of those additional births obviously has exponential impact. https://sheltermedicine.vetmed.ufl.edu/2022/09/13/impact-on-spay-neuter-surgeries-due-to-covid-19-pandemic-threatens-pet-overpopulation/
• An ongoing veterinary shortage- meaning that even though we can do more s/n again, there are not enough people out there to do it in the high quality, high volume way our industry requires. 
• Overall economic insecurity and inflation. The resumption of evictions.
• Fewer pet-friendly housing options, particularly for young people who may considering adopting, but cannot have certain breeds or certain sizes of dogs in their home.
• A reduction in the number of animals moving through non-profit organizations in many communities, with a disproportionate burden being placed on the  municipal shelters. https://www.shelteranimalscount.org/organization-types-2022-analysis/

Interested to hear what others feel about this issue as well!

Friends, I am new to the world of rescue, and volunteering with shelters and rescues in the Midwest.  I am hearing from people all over the country that shelters and rescues are overwhelmed with animals right now.  The Covid-19 Pandemic seems to be what people are pointing to, and that it is animals adopted during this time that are being surrendered. This does not seem to explain the explosion of puppies and kittens.  What am I missing?  I need to help the non-rescue world we are trying to recruit to help volunteer, foster, etc. I want them to understand how this happened and what we need to do to get back to what was a "normal" level of intake.  Thanks in advance.

So from what I have seen, this is a culmination of multiple factors coming together to create a crisis:

• A recent study was released documenting roughly 2.7 million missed spay/neuter surgeries during the early days of the pandemic, when elective surgeries were mandatorily put on hold by states, and spay/neuter fell into that category. The impact of those additional births obviously has exponential impact. https://sheltermedicine.vetmed.ufl.edu/2022/09/13/impact-on-spay-neuter-surgeries-due-to-covid-19-pandemic-threatens-pet-overpopulation/
• An ongoing veterinary shortage- meaning that even though we can do more s/n again, there are not enough people out there to do it in the high quality, high volume way our industry requires. 
• Overall economic insecurity and inflation. The resumption of evictions.
• Fewer pet-friendly housing options, particularly for young people who may considering adopting, but cannot have certain breeds or certain sizes of dogs in their home.
• A reduction in the number of animals moving through non-profit organizations in many communities, with a disproportionate burden being placed on the  municipal shelters. https://www.shelteranimalscount.org/organization-types-2022-analysis/

Interested to hear what others feel about this issue as well!

Friends, I am new to the world of rescue, and volunteering with shelters and rescues in the Midwest.  I am hearing from people all over the country that shelters and rescues are overwhelmed with animals right now.  The Covid-19 Pandemic seems to be what people are pointing to, and that it is animals adopted during this time that are being surrendered. This does not seem to explain the explosion of puppies and kittens.  What am I missing?  I need to help the non-rescue world we are trying to recruit to help volunteer, foster, etc. I want them to understand how this happened and what we need to do to get back to what was a "normal" level of intake.  Thanks in advance.

Friends, I am new to the world of rescue, and volunteering with shelters and rescues in the Midwest.  I am hearing from people all over the country that shelters and rescues are overwhelmed with animals right now.  The Covid-19 Pandemic seems to be what people are pointing to, and that it is animals adopted during this time that are being surrendered. This does not seem to explain the explosion of puppies and kittens.  What am I missing?  I need to help the non-rescue world we are trying to recruit to help volunteer, foster, etc. I want them to understand how this happened and what we need to do to get back to what was a "normal" level of intake.  Thanks in advance.

Hi Anonymous and Alexis,

Thank y'all for posting. I got involved in animal rescue in November of 2020--when the pandemic was in full swing. I kept hearing people say that it would be really bad for the animals who were adopted when people went back to work. I am located in the Deep South, which already has a sad reputation for animal welfare. I'm born and raised in the Deep South and truly had no idea how bad of a stray pet overpopulation problem we have until I moved back, was in my mid to late 20s, and got involved in the rescue world. I still can't believe the number of animals who need help everyday. It's almost as if it needs to be included in elementary school education curriculums about how to properly care for animals. That way, it can start with the younger generations and hopefully get better in the years to come. I know things have gotten better since say the 1960s-1980s, but it still blows my mind how many companion animals are euthanized in this country every year. I know people struggle economically--especially in and with today's economy--but it's almost like we need a complete reevaluation of how people view animals. I think it needs to start in each individual home and at schools. 

Alexis, thank you for posting and sharing the information you have found. I agree that it seems to be a culmination of multiple factors, and that animal welfare is at a crisis in this country.

Thank you for letting me share.

------------------------------
Anna Aikens
Board Member
The Mylo Foundation

Original Message:
Sent: 03-06-2023 07:20 AM
From: Anonymous Member
Subject: Our National Problem: Shelters and Rescues are Overwhelmed - Why has this Happened?

This message was posted by a user wishing to remain anonymous

Friends, I am new to the world of rescue, and volunteering with shelters and rescues in the Midwest.  I am hearing from people all over the country that shelters and rescues are overwhelmed with animals right now.  The Covid-19 Pandemic seems to be what people are pointing to, and that it is animals adopted during this time that are being surrendered. This does not seem to explain the explosion of puppies and kittens.  What am I missing?  I need to help the non-rescue world we are trying to recruit to help volunteer, foster, etc. I want them to understand how this happened and what we need to do to get back to what was a "normal" level of intake.  Thanks in advance.

#AdmissionsandIntake(includingIntake-to-placement)

I agree that we need to ramp up educational efforts. I've just gotten an early start on an educational program I think has promise.

In the last two years, I've had good success with training shelter dogs and helping them become more adoptable. After the first two dogs, the staff began pointing out dogs I might like to work with as my next "project." In that time, one of those adoptions didn't work out and the dog returned for another few months. But lately I've seen several adoptions of what look like easier candidates fail pretty quickly, and I've been mulling over the idea of holding sessions with new owners where they come to the shelter and I demonstrate some trouble shooting with a shelter dog. I recently had an opportunity to try this with a woman who called the shelter at her wit's end about a puppy she'd adopted nine months ago from another shelter. I spoke to her on the phone for about a half hour and she accepted my invitation to come to the shelter by herself so we could work together with a shelter pup. We were able to go over and practice things like well-timed and well-placed treats and rewarding for approximate behaviors. It could not have turned out better - the shelter dog got some nice enrichment, the woman came away with a better understanding of her dog's behavior and a number of things she could put in to place right away (like go home and pick up all those toys that are strewn all over the house, and quit worrying about socializing the dog with other dogs and focus on socializing him to people and the environments you expect him to navigate).   I'm pretty optimistic about this model's use to give room for owners to a) express their frustrations, b) take a good look at their own current practices and c) learn about more effective interactions with their dogs.

------------------------------
Eudora Watson
Volunteer
Potsdam, NY


Original Message:
Sent: 03-15-2023 05:08 PM
From: Anna Aikens
Subject: Our National Problem: Shelters and Rescues are Overwhelmed - Why has this Happened?

Hi Anonymous and Alexis,

Thank y'all for posting. I got involved in animal rescue in November of 2020--when the pandemic was in full swing. I kept hearing people say that it would be really bad for the animals who were adopted when people went back to work. I am located in the Deep South, which already has a sad reputation for animal welfare. I'm born and raised in the Deep South and truly had no idea how bad of a stray pet overpopulation problem we have until I moved back, was in my mid to late 20s, and got involved in the rescue world. I still can't believe the number of animals who need help everyday. It's almost as if it needs to be included in elementary school education curriculums about how to properly care for animals. That way, it can start with the younger generations and hopefully get better in the years to come. I know things have gotten better since say the 1960s-1980s, but it still blows my mind how many companion animals are euthanized in this country every year. I know people struggle economically--especially in and with today's economy--but it's almost like we need a complete reevaluation of how people view animals. I think it needs to start in each individual home and at schools. 

Alexis, thank you for posting and sharing the information you have found. I agree that it seems to be a culmination of multiple factors, and that animal welfare is at a crisis in this country.

Thank you for letting me share.

------------------------------
Anna Aikens
Board Member
The Mylo Foundation

Original Message:
Sent: 03-06-2023 07:20 AM
From: Anonymous Member
Subject: Our National Problem: Shelters and Rescues are Overwhelmed - Why has this Happened?

This message was posted by a user wishing to remain anonymous

Friends, I am new to the world of rescue, and volunteering with shelters and rescues in the Midwest.  I am hearing from people all over the country that shelters and rescues are overwhelmed with animals right now.  The Covid-19 Pandemic seems to be what people are pointing to, and that it is animals adopted during this time that are being surrendered. This does not seem to explain the explosion of puppies and kittens.  What am I missing?  I need to help the non-rescue world we are trying to recruit to help volunteer, foster, etc. I want them to understand how this happened and what we need to do to get back to what was a "normal" level of intake.  Thanks in advance.

#AdmissionsandIntake(includingIntake-to-placement)

Eudora,

That is wonderful that the shelter is letting you come in to work with their dogs who need a little more training! I wish our local shelters would let us or another trainer do this. They label dogs as "aggressive" when really they are just reacting to the stressful shelter environment. Too many good dogs have been put down because the shelter was not willing to work with them or give them time to decompress. We are one of the only--if not the only--rescue in our area who will pull dogs with behavioral issues, and the shelter itself and other rescues really have a problem with this. We are willing to invest time and resources into training and rehabilitating these dogs, and most of them have absolutely no issues once they leave the stressful shelter environment. I have a hard time grappling with the fact that this shelter and many other rescues in our area don't agree with helping dogs who are protective over their food, exhibiting kennel stress, and/or are reactive to other dogs in the shelter. It's as if they don't think these shelter stressed dogs deserve a chance, and it's incredibly disheartening.

I know shelters everywhere--particularly in the Deep South--have to make tough decisions because they stay full, but more times than not, when we pull an "aggressive" dog and receive his or her paper work, not only does the dog exhibit no issues, but his or her paperwork even states that the dog is "healthy and adoptable." 

What do y'all think about pulling shelter stressed dogs? We have an in-house trainer and also utilize two local training groups for dogs who need further behavioral modification. Don't shelter stressed, feral dogs deserve a second chance at life, too?

Thank you for letting me share.

I agree that we need to ramp up educational efforts. I've just gotten an early start on an educational program I think has promise.

In the last two years, I've had good success with training shelter dogs and helping them become more adoptable. After the first two dogs, the staff began pointing out dogs I might like to work with as my next "project." In that time, one of those adoptions didn't work out and the dog returned for another few months. But lately I've seen several adoptions of what look like easier candidates fail pretty quickly, and I've been mulling over the idea of holding sessions with new owners where they come to the shelter and I demonstrate some trouble shooting with a shelter dog. I recently had an opportunity to try this with a woman who called the shelter at her wit's end about a puppy she'd adopted nine months ago from another shelter. I spoke to her on the phone for about a half hour and she accepted my invitation to come to the shelter by herself so we could work together with a shelter pup. We were able to go over and practice things like well-timed and well-placed treats and rewarding for approximate behaviors. It could not have turned out better - the shelter dog got some nice enrichment, the woman came away with a better understanding of her dog's behavior and a number of things she could put in to place right away (like go home and pick up all those toys that are strewn all over the house, and quit worrying about socializing the dog with other dogs and focus on socializing him to people and the environments you expect him to navigate).   I'm pretty optimistic about this model's use to give room for owners to a) express their frustrations, b) take a good look at their own current practices and c) learn about more effective interactions with their dogs.

------------------------------
Eudora Watson
Volunteer
Potsdam, NY


Original Message:
Sent: 03-15-2023 05:08 PM
From: Anna Aikens
Subject: Our National Problem: Shelters and Rescues are Overwhelmed - Why has this Happened?

Hi Anonymous and Alexis,

Thank y'all for posting. I got involved in animal rescue in November of 2020--when the pandemic was in full swing. I kept hearing people say that it would be really bad for the animals who were adopted when people went back to work. I am located in the Deep South, which already has a sad reputation for animal welfare. I'm born and raised in the Deep South and truly had no idea how bad of a stray pet overpopulation problem we have until I moved back, was in my mid to late 20s, and got involved in the rescue world. I still can't believe the number of animals who need help everyday. It's almost as if it needs to be included in elementary school education curriculums about how to properly care for animals. That way, it can start with the younger generations and hopefully get better in the years to come. I know things have gotten better since say the 1960s-1980s, but it still blows my mind how many companion animals are euthanized in this country every year. I know people struggle economically--especially in and with today's economy--but it's almost like we need a complete reevaluation of how people view animals. I think it needs to start in each individual home and at schools. 

Alexis, thank you for posting and sharing the information you have found. I agree that it seems to be a culmination of multiple factors, and that animal welfare is at a crisis in this country.

Thank you for letting me share.

------------------------------
Anna Aikens
Board Member
The Mylo Foundation

Original Message:
Sent: 03-06-2023 07:20 AM
From: Anonymous Member
Subject: Our National Problem: Shelters and Rescues are Overwhelmed - Why has this Happened?

This message was posted by a user wishing to remain anonymous

Friends, I am new to the world of rescue, and volunteering with shelters and rescues in the Midwest.  I am hearing from people all over the country that shelters and rescues are overwhelmed with animals right now.  The Covid-19 Pandemic seems to be what people are pointing to, and that it is animals adopted during this time that are being surrendered. This does not seem to explain the explosion of puppies and kittens.  What am I missing?  I need to help the non-rescue world we are trying to recruit to help volunteer, foster, etc. I want them to understand how this happened and what we need to do to get back to what was a "normal" level of intake.  Thanks in advance.

#AdmissionsandIntake(includingIntake-to-placement)

Hi Anonymous and Alexis,

Thank y'all for posting. I got involved in animal rescue in November of 2020--when the pandemic was in full swing. I kept hearing people say that it would be really bad for the animals who were adopted when people went back to work. I am located in the Deep South, which already has a sad reputation for animal welfare. I'm born and raised in the Deep South and truly had no idea how bad of a stray pet overpopulation problem we have until I moved back, was in my mid to late 20s, and got involved in the rescue world. I still can't believe the number of animals who need help everyday. It's almost as if it needs to be included in elementary school education curriculums about how to properly care for animals. That way, it can start with the younger generations and hopefully get better in the years to come. I know things have gotten better since say the 1960s-1980s, but it still blows my mind how many companion animals are euthanized in this country every year. I know people struggle economically--especially in and with today's economy--but it's almost like we need a complete reevaluation of how people view animals. I think it needs to start in each individual home and at schools. 

Alexis, thank you for posting and sharing the information you have found. I agree that it seems to be a culmination of multiple factors, and that animal welfare is at a crisis in this country.

Thank you for letting me share.

Friends, I am new to the world of rescue, and volunteering with shelters and rescues in the Midwest.  I am hearing from people all over the country that shelters and rescues are overwhelmed with animals right now.  The Covid-19 Pandemic seems to be what people are pointing to, and that it is animals adopted during this time that are being surrendered. This does not seem to explain the explosion of puppies and kittens.  What am I missing?  I need to help the non-rescue world we are trying to recruit to help volunteer, foster, etc. I want them to understand how this happened and what we need to do to get back to what was a "normal" level of intake.  Thanks in advance.