SAN DIEGO — San Diego County's animal shelters in Bonita and Carlsbad are in crisis mode as they deal with shelter dog overcrowding, an issue affecting shelters throughout the United States.
“We’re in a position right now where we don’t have the room, and on a daily basis, we’re intaking in more animals that we have going out,” said Carl Smith, Assistant Director at the County Animal Services Department. “We’re set up as an animal shelter, not an animal sanctuary. What that means is we’re really looking at providing care to animals for up to six months.”
The County’s shelters are not equipped for long-term care, and the longer a dog stays in the short-term kennels, the worse it is for the animal.
“The stress in this environment really causes a lot of what we call ‘kennel stress,’ and it really starts to affect the dog and you start to see the decline and it’s really sad to see,” said Smith.
Between both locations, they have capacity for a little more than two-hundred dogs, and right now, both shelters are 98% full.
“It’s pretty terrible,” said Annette Dalton, who has been volunteering at the North Shelter in Carlsbad for more than a year. “It takes a special place in my heart for all these dogs that need homes, sometimes it’s not their fault that they’re here.”
Last year, county shelters took in more than 5,700 animals, and more than 5,100 were adopted or returned to their owners. Housing and financial hardship were among the top five reasons why dogs were relinquished to their shelters.
“A lot of people are being forced to relocate into apartments that are not willing to accept pets plus the insurance for some pets has become difficult to get,” said Smith. “Another reason is just to care for an animal, it’s expensive, it can be expensive, so we get a lot of relinquishments.”
The San Diego Humane Society and other shelters across the country are facing similar circumstances. The County’s Animal Services Department is asking for the public’s help.
“If people are on the fence about adopting, now’s the time to come out and adopt,” said Smith. “If you can’t adopt, we would ask the public to come and do fostering, whether it be short-term or long-term fostering, it has a really good effect on the dogs because again, we’re getting them out of this environment, we’re getting them into homes.”
Check out some of the available pets on the Animal Services website. Adoption walk-in hours are from 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the South Shelter, 5821 Sweetwater Road in Bonita and the North Shelter, 2481 Palomar Airport Road in Carlsbad.
If you can’t adopt right now, check out information on fostering. The County provides food, crates, and other supplies to those who decide to foster.
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