There are a lot of factors that go into why shelters are so incredibly full.
1. Increasingly, housing is not allowing people to have pets, and the ones that do, tend to be expensive. It is understandable that landlords have had bad experiences with tenants with pets thus ban them, but it is really sad for the people who are responsible. We have had MANY people surrender animals because they have to move into housing where they can’t have pets.
Solution: If you are moving, start looking EARLY! Give yourself plenty of time to find a place where you can have a pet. So many people wait until the absolute last minute to find housing or don’t even consider that many places don’t allow pets. It’s unwise just try to sneak your animal in, because if you get caught, your animal will likely land with us anyway.
If you cannot secure housing where you can have a pet, GET IN TOUCH AHEAD OF TIME! Don’t wait until right before you move. We might be able to do a home-to-home adoption so your pet doesn’t have to even come to the shelter. We’re happy to help, but it’s hard for us to do anything if you wait until the last second. So many people come in to surrender animals because they are moving TOMORROW.
2. I will preface this with we are NOT blaming the vets! Unfortunately, they had to close during the height of the pandemic. People were unable to get their pets fixed during this time, and unfortunately this resulted in a lot of unwanted kittens and puppies. I think we are still feeling the effects of that. To add to it the local vets are booked very far out now, so that also might be contributing to animals not getting spayed or neutered. We have had SO many random kittens and pregnant moms dropped off at the shelter this summer.
Solution: If you have an animal that is not fixed, do not give them any opportunity to be around other not fixed animals of the opposite sex. This includes allowing them to roam outside! Even a brief contact, especially if they are in heat, will result in a pregnancy. This is on owners of male pets too!
Get an appointment scheduled with your vet as soon as possible. There is a good chance it will be booked very far out. You can ask to get on a list for cancellations. Also if you have the means, consider reaching out to a vet that is a little further away. There is a vet clinic in L’Anse and there are several in Marquette.
If you cannot afford to get your pet fixed, you can reach out to CCHS for financial assistance for dogs or KSNAG for cats.
Get pet insurance. Some companies cover spay/neuter.
This one is a little crazy, but become a vet! There is an extreme shortage of veterinarians right now, thus why our vet clinics are booked out so far.
3. General irresponsible people are another big reason why we are overwhelmed with animals. Don’t get us wrong, sometimes stuff happens, and you can’t keep your pet. We understand that, and we always appreciate people bringing their pets to us rather than dumping them, but sometimes we get surrenders that were completely avoidable. A couple of examples:
- My dog hates other dogs and I got another dog or puppy and my original dog hates them, so I am bringing my old dog to the shelter instead of returning the new puppy.
- I was informed of the needs for this animal, I said I was able to handle that, and I lied, so now the animal is coming back in terrible shape.
- I got a pet even knowing I couldn’t afford vet bills and had no backup plan, so now not only do I have to give up my pet, but the shelter gets a nice big vet bill.
- My pet is having this behavioral issue, and I refuse to even try to work with them.
- I declawed my cat, and now they are not using the litter box.
Solutions: Before taking in a pet really consider if you have the time and financial ability to care for them. Be honest with yourself. Also consider any life changes that might be coming up, e.g. moving, getting married, having a child, trip coming up, etc. Also consider the other pets in your household if you have any. We have a couple of great blog posts to help you figure out if you are ready to adopt (works for buying too) a cat or dog.
If you adopt a pet from CCHS really listen to what the staff is saying about the animal you are interested in. Be honest with the staff and yourself about what you can handle. Never feel bad if you choose not to adopt an animal because they aren’t a good fit for you.
Pet insurance can also help with vet bills.
Get your pet in for wellness exams. If medical problems are caught early, they are less likely to become severe.
Don’t declaw cats.
Don’t let your pet roam. There are a couple reasons for this. Strays take up kennel space, which we are severely lacking right now. They are also more likely to get hurt be it hit by a car, a fight with another animal, a cruel neighbor that doesn’t want them on their property, etc. Almost every single person that claims their pet from us says, “They always just stay in my yard.” Well that is until they don’t.
4. People accidentally or intentionally breeding their pets. If your pet isn’t spayed you can almost guarantee they will get pregnant. If your dog isn’t neutered they will more than likely contribute to overpopulation.
Solution: SPAY AND NEUTER ALL YOUR PETS!!! There is no excuse not to!
More ways to help
Adopt! Getting animals out of the shelter would help us so much. If you choose not to adopt, go to a reputable breeder, not a puppy mill. Puppy mills are a huge reason why shelters are so full. They also tend to have more medical problems and potential behavioral problems due to coming from a horrible situation.
Easy one: share our posts! If you know someone looking for a pet, recommend us. Encourage adoption over buying pets.
Donate. Monetary donations of course are helpful, especially with vet bills, but we often post on our social media different supplies we are in need of. A roll of paper towel is a pretty cheap thing you can donate without breaking the bank. We appreciate ALL donations, small and large.
Give us your Tadych’s Marketplace receipts. We get 1% of the money from the ones we hand in.
Volunteer to walk dogs or cuddle cats. The animals we have here now can always use more socializing, especially with the staff being so busy with having so many animals.
Foster a mom cat or dog or kittens too young to be at the shelter. The only other instance we do fosters is with medical cases that need a lot of extra care. We do not foster out our other animals. Fosters work great for some shelters, but not us,
If you need to surrender an animal, don’t just show up. Call and leave a message, email, or contact us on Facebook if you think you might need to rehome your pet. We can assist with home-to-home adoptions or let you know when we have space.
Author: Rebecca, CCHS Assistant Manager