“Between January 1 and May 20, 2025, Chicago Animal Care & Control took in 2,360 surrendered pets, a 312% increase from the same period last year.” Adoptions and donations are way down and owner surrenders are happening at extreme rates. Shelters have no choices left but to euthanize. How would you solve what’s happening?
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Nz6OTkxQSAA&t=6
Engage with other care facilities - assisted living, disabled vets, foster homes - to help house the pets that are most capable (housebroken, interested in people, etc) and push for in-kind donations for consumables like food, liter, etc. The added attention will help them get adopted while supporting communities that experience higher rates of loneliness.
Leverage the network of other shelters in suburbs and region to see who has capacity or would do an awareness event to push adoptions. (Our PAWS pup was originally from Mississippi.) I doubt CAC’s experience is unique but maybe there’s a supply/demand imbalance somewhere.
If people can’t give money, ask for foster support, tapping the Rover network if they can. Fostered pets have a higher chance of being adopted and it helps the capacity constraints. Not sure exactly what CAC could offer but they’ll have local connections to maybe get another incentive.
Terrible to hear surrendered pets are up. Taking on a pet is a lifelong commitment IMO. Hope this gets solved before pets are sacrificed.
We loved our pitty! Sweetest big boi. He passed last year but not before his last trip to the woods.
I’m sure they are tapped often but reach out to big supplies spots like Chewy, Petco (big donor of PAWS since they’re neighbors), maybe Costco. This is new and not your typical urgency request so maybe you’ll get some extra support.
Thanks for sharing this.
There are programs/shelters that provide food and care to adopters so people who have financial issues can keep their pets. Saw it on nbc 5, for others, adopt don’t shop, foster, make sure you are ready for a pet.