August was Clear the Shelters month, a campaign spearheaded by local animal shelters to get dogs and cats adopted out to loving homes. However, the effort has been a struggle for shelters across the country and this region.
“It comes in waves,” said Greene County Animal Control Director Julie Holmes-Taylor. “Years ago it was too many cats; now it’s too many dogs.”
Shelters in Butler, Clark and Montgomery counties are often at, or over capacity as well.
Montgomery County has the space to safely house about 80 dogs, spokeswoman Kara Hamby said. As of Friday morning, they had 83.
“This is why we prioritize and manage the dogs we impound; to avoid overcrowding that can further lead to health and safety issues for both the dogs in our care and our staff,” she said.
The Butler County Animal Friends Humane Society has 111 kennels, and they consistently encroach on capacity. About 20 are strays not to be sent out for short-term fostering, but Megan Poffenbarger, the shelter’s intake coordinator, said they’d like to have a lest 50, or just more than half, of the remaining dogs out for short-term fostering.
“We are touching it every single day,” Poffenbarger said. “It seems like every day we hit it and we can usually squeeze ourselves back down either sending somebody out to rescue or sending one home.”
Of Greene County Animal Control’s 36 kennels, 15 are normally for adoptable dogs, with the rest for strays. The agency can safely house up to 50 dogs in an emergency. However, nearly two-thirds of the kennels at present are full of well-socialized dogs, indicating they’ve had regular positive contact with humans.
Greene County had a 50% return to owner rate pre-pandemic, Holmes-Taylor said. During COVID, that rate rose to about 63%. Now, it’s back down to around 50%, and 2024 is on track to go even lower, she said.
“This tells us that the strays we pick up, the owners aren’t looking for them,” she said.
In the aftermath of the so-called “pandemic puppy boom,” as people either didn’t want their dogs anymore, or were unable to afford taking care of the pet, shelters began to get overcrowded.
“This has become a national epidemic,” said Holmes-Taylor. “It’s not just us. It’s private shelters, it’s public shelters, it’s government shelters, it’s private rescues. Everybody is full.”
Back in 2022, Greene County Animal Control was slated for $250,000 of American Rescue Plan Act funds to expand the shelter, originally planned as 15 new kennels, to help with overcrowding. Over time, that plan dwindled to 10 kennels, and then 8, as construction costs soared.
The project was put out to bid twice, Holmes-Taylor said. Ultimately, the lowest one came in at a whopping $800,000 for eight kennels, half of what was planned for more than three times the money.
“It was outrageous...I was blown away when they told me that,” Holmes-Taylor said. “We’re talking eight kennels in a room. That was it. But we were competing with all of these construction companies that were doing these multi-million dollar bids, and were getting the business at premium rates. We would have just been one more.”
The money was ultimately repurposed towards other county projects, she said.
Local animal shelters rely heavily on adoptions to keep their numbers down. Since the start of the Clear the Shelters campaign on Aug. 10, Montgomery County Animal Resource Center has found homes for 37 dogs, Hamby said.
“There are so many ways to help,” Hamby said. “Adopt, foster or rescue your next pet and encourage family and friends to do the same. If someone is not able to adopt or foster, they can always volunteer at the shelter or donate.”
At Greene County, many pets’ adoption fees are sponsored by local businesses.
Butler County Animal Friends Humane Society did not participate in the Clear the Shelters program this year due to other promotions and projects, including eventually replacing dog kennel doors, said Poffenbarger.
The shelter’s Return to Home program allows owners to reclaim their surrendered pets with half-price redemption fees this month. The construction project, which is anticipated to take about four days, won’t impact the cat kennels, but feline capacity is just as full as the canine kennels, Poffenbarger said.
Staff reporter Michael D. Pitman contributed to this story.
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