D.C.'s Humane Rescue Alliance is currently at capacity for dogs and is lowering adoption fees by 50% through Sunday.
Victoria Prasad, a representative at the Humane Rescue Alliance, said shelters have recently taken in a lot of strays and believes the increases may be due to the financial strain of pet care.
“One of the main reasons that dogs will come in as strays, is people are just unable to take care of their animals anymore," Prasad said. "So, we've seen this issue and it's been getting worse and worse through the year.”
Dog adoptions have been slow since December, Prasad said.
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“It's just not sustainable for us right now. Last week alone, we had 90 intakes of dogs and only 17 adoptions," she said. "So, it's just been rough for all the dogs and the staff as well.”
In the same week in 2022 out of the 59 dogs taken in, 40 were adopted.
The Fairfax County Animal Shelter said it has taken in over 1,000 animals so far this year and has had nearly a 25% increase in animal intakes overall.
Prasad said fewer owners have surrendered their pets in D.C. She thinks that is due to the Human Rescue Alliance’s pet pantry and pet support program which are offered at different locations throughout the city.
“We can speak them through alternatives to surrendering and also help them with medical needs, medical costs and other things that come,” Prasad said.
The Humane Rescue Alliance is discounting the adoption fee by 50% for all dogs through Sunday, to help more dogs be adopted.
For those who aren’t ready to fully commit to adopting, the shelter has a test drive foster program. This allows potential pet owners to walk in and foster a dog for a week before making a decision.
NBC4 and Telemundo 44 will be partnering with the Humane Rescue Alliance for the Clear the Shelters campaign in August.
