Some Northern Virginia animal shelters are full or near capacity because of a surge in dogs being surrendered or picked up as strays.
“It’s unprecedented,” Loudoun County Animal Services Director Nina Shively said. “We have never seen this volume of dogs coming in. They’re both strays and owner surrenders.”
In the past three months, 210 dogs have come into the shelter – more than twice the number at the same time last year.
Even before the surge, intakes were up 30%. Shelter directors say economic stress is to blame.
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“Mostly it’s people in crisis,” Shively said. “So, people who are moving and not able to take their pets, challenged to find pet friendly housing, having a situation of economic challenge.”
At the Fairfax County Animal Shelter, the numbers also are climbing.
“Individuals are struggling,” Director Reasa Currier said. “Just basic necessities for their pet, including affording veterinary care.”
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In response, the Loudoun shelter is waiving adoption fees right now.
At the Fairfax shelter, the director urges families facing financial strain to call them first before deciding to surrender a pet.
“Because chances are we might be able to provide some support or resources that can really assist families in staying together with their pet,” Currier said.
Donations help stock a pet pantry, and the shelter also has free and low-cost vet services and behavioral training.
Both shelters are looking for more people willing to foster animals in their homes.
“It’s so rewarding to see a dog in the shelter who’s stressed out and seems like he’s starting to give up and then to bring them into your home and then find out all these wonderful things about them,” said Laura Shugrue, who is fostering a dog that’s thriving outside the shelter.
The shelters also welcome volunteers to walk dogs and donations, especially of canned pet food.
Getting more help from the community is especially critical as the shelters brace for the summer months, which typically bring in even more animals as puppies and kittens are born.
