We're Out of Ways to Say It: We're in a Critical Space Crisis

May 20th: Thank you. Because of you...

• More shelter pets are sleeping in cozy, loving homes
• Our kennels are no longer over capacity
• Our treat and toy shelves are full again

We currently have:

733 animals on campus - 392 of those are dogs - a significant improvement.

When we're overcrowded like we were last week, animals - especially large dogs - are in real danger. Stress levels rise, illness spreads, and sometimes we're forced to make heartbreaking decisions because there's no space. That's the fight we fight to avoid every single day.

A lot of people ask: Why does your shelter get so crowded?

The #1 reason: strays. The majority of pets we take in have families. They're just lost!

Most of them come to us with no form of identification (collars, tags, and microchips)

Here's how you can help us prevent another crisis:

• Be a good neighbor. If you find a healthy pet, try to help them get home before bringing them to the shelter or calling Animal Protection Services:
  • Check for a microchip
  • Walk them around the neighborhood and knock on doors
  • Post on Petco Love Lost and lost pet groups on Facebook, Nextdoor, etc.
• Donate supplies from our wishlist
• Microchip your pets.

We can't do this alone, and the animals are counting on all of us.

As of May 15, 891 animals are calling The Animal Foundation home.

But here’s the hard truth:
113 animals came in yesterday alone. That’s more than one every 15 minutes. 
Of the 891 animals currently in our care:

•  456 pets are available for adoption
• 307 animals are on a stray hold waiting to be reclaimed by their families
• The remaining animals are unavailable (cruelty cases, quarantine, etc)

We’ve made progress, but we urgently need your help to keep going. If you'd like to learn how to help, please scroll to the bottom of this page and see what you can do.
 

On May 14, our shelter was caring for over 1,000 animals, and we're facing the heartbreaking possibility of euthanizing for space.

Since 2020, we’ve seen a 61% jump in the number of animals coming through our doors, pushing our capacity to inhumane levels.

Allow us to be more clear. When we have more dogs than kennels, this is what happens:

• Increased anxiety due to a crowded environment
• Behavioral decline and repetitive behaviors due to stress
• Risk of injury or illness
• Limited capacity to address each animal's unique needs

Eventually, these behaviors compound. A once-healthy dog now has behaviors that can’t be managed in the shelter environment. They slowly begin to deteriorate, and then their quality of life in the shelter declines.

When an animal’s quality of life declines and no homes are available, keeping them in the shelter can become inhumane — and euthanasia may be considered.

We recently launched an At-Risk Program. This At-Risk Program provides intervention for animals that are at risk of euthanasia because of treatable medical or behavioral challenges that could improve in a home setting. If you are willing to help an animal that urgently needs you, you can view all At-Risk animals and learn more at the button below.

LEARN MORE ABOUT AT-RISK ANIMALS

Our Current Situation:

You need to see these photos to truly understand how dire the situation is at the shelter right now.

Pop-up kennels line the hallway. They’re arriving faster than we can make space. While we are now below 1,000 animals on campus, the situation is still dire.

This is not sustainable. This is not a temporary surge. This is our daily reality, and we're facing the heartbreaking possibility of euthanizing for space.

We’re doing everything we can for the animals who need us most—but the truth is, we’re overwhelmed. We’re exhausted, and we can’t keep doing this alone.

With the overwhelming amount of animals in our care and the impressive response we’re seeing from our community, please be patient. Our staff and volunteers are doing everything they can for these animals, as quickly as they can.

How You Can Help