San Diego County animal welfare groups have issued an urgent appeal for help

A coalition of San Diego County animal welfare groups asked the community Tuesday to save lives by adopting or fostering unwanted animals and spaying and neutering their pets before a severely overcrowded shelter situation becomes even more urgent during the busier summer months.

On Adopt a Shelter Pet Day, 11 local organizations reaffirmed their commitment to continue working towards zero euthanasia of healthy or treatable pets, but warned that overcrowding was becoming unsafe.

“Summer is the busiest time for animal shelters, so we need the community to help us before things get worse,” says Dr. Gary Weitzman, president and CEO of the San Diego Humane Society. “There are hundreds of deserving animals, from puppies and kittens to special breed dogs and cats, and small pets, waiting for a second chance in our shelters and rescues.”

According to Shelter Animals Count, 359,000 dogs and 330,000 cats were euthanized nationwide last year. In 2023 alone, more than 3 million cats and dogs went to animal shelters and rescues nationwide, along with millions of domestic rabbits and smaller animals.

In 2022, SDHS reached an all-time high of nearly 494 dogs in care per day. That daily average rose to 540 in 2023 and has risen to 632 so far this year. The intake of stray dogs has increased by 12% and 65% of these pets are never reclaimed by their owners.

“The number of pets coming to us in need of help is greater than we ever imagined,” said Ashley Milo, deputy director of animal services for the city of Chula Vista. “We are sounding the alarm. We need our community’s help now more than ever – whether it’s adoption or foster care, volunteer work or donations.”

Despite the challenges, San Diego County animal welfare organizations have continued to adhere to their “Stay at Zero” euthanasia policy for healthy or treatable pets since 2015. However, this success is due to the efforts of local shelters and rescues, as well as people willing to adopt animals. and foster pets.

“Every animal in the shelter is looking for a forever home, waiting for its person,” says Cora Zwartjes, director of the shelter and head of veterinary technology at Friends of Cats. “By adopting from a shelter, people can not only help their new family member, but also free up resources for the next animal in need.”

There are three main ways that animal lovers can help the situation:

• Adopt: Adopting saves lives, and there are currently thousands of pets available at shelters and local rescues.
• Foster: This is a critical – and temporary – way you can help save lives. Opening your home to take in a pet will relieve the stress of the shelter and create space for other animals in need.
• Spay and Neuter: Increasing the number of spayed/neutered animals is the only way to stop the pet overpopulation crisis at its roots.

“Even if you can’t make a permanent commitment to adopt, there are so many ways to help,” says Jennifer Stein of PAWS of Coronado. “Our fosters serve as bridges, preventing dogs from entering the shelter by seamlessly transferring them from one loving home to another so their journey ends in a forever family.”

Some pets have been waiting for adoption for more than a year, and a third for more than 30 days, the province said.

“Your actions will help create vital kennel space for the expected wave of incoming pets this summer,” said Suzy Clayton, Intake2Placement program coordinator at the county’s Department of Animal Services. “Together, through community support and collaboration, we can deliver on our commitment to Stay at Zero.”

For more information on how you can help, visit sdhumane.org/helpus.