At the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society in New York, their kennel is so overrun, some of their animal residents are being housed in their offices.
Animal shelters are filling up with beloved pets whose human families can no longer afford to take care of them.
Experts say it's happening across the country.
Ashley Jeffrey Bouck, CEO of Mohawk Hudson Humane Society, told CBS News, “Unfortunately, as we're seeing more and more animals entering our shelter, we're not seeing the same rate of animals leaving our shelter. Our adoption numbers have been down about 5-to-9% year over year, but our stray numbers have increased about 40%. So unfortunately, as we've seen, maybe ten dogs come in each week we’re only seen five dogs go out. And this way our kennels are staying fuller longer.”
At the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society in New York, their kennel is so overrun, some of their animal residents are being housed in their offices.
Food and veterinary care cost the average cat or dog owner between $500 and $1,000 per year.
Some shelters are waiving fees to get pets adopted, especially for large dogs. But full kennels have unfortunately become common.
“It's been going on for over a year now and unfortunately has only gotten worse. And we're seeing this not just here in the capital region of New York, but we're seeing this throughout the entire United States. And it is a crisis,” Ashley Jeffrey Bouck added.
According to the organization Stray Animals Count, more than 654,000 dogs and cats in the United States have been relinquished by their owners between January and November 2023.
If unable to adopt a pet, shelter executives say temporary fostering, food donations, and even volunteering to take dogs on walks can greatly help pets in need.
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