SAN FRANCISCO – San Francisco Animal Care and Control says it is overcapacity as a shelter and is asking families to try to delay surrendering dogs to them as long as possible.
A backlog in spaying and neutering animals nationwide has affected shelters around the Bay Area.
“The problem we have now is that we have too much capacity, so we have animals available for adoption, we want people to come and adopt them, but we are also full of wild animals and a group that we have called. animals in care,” said Virginia Donohue, executive director of SFAAC.
Donohue explained that animals in care are cases where there has been a family emergency.
“Normally, we handle about 500 of those cases a year. Last year, we handled over 800, and this year we’re going to repeat that number. So, more animals than we’re used to, ” he told CBS News Bay Area.
Animal care cases can include a family where someone is hospitalized or someone dies, as well as someone going to jail, or being left homeless in a fire.
This is only part of the problem as the national delay of three million spay and neuter procedures has led to many backyard breedings around California alone.
This impacts SFACC by having more animals in their care, animals having to stay longer, and fewer options to transfer animals to other shelters.
“We’re full, we don’t have room, but if, if you’re struggling like, maybe there’s some way to help you and your pets stay together,” Donohue said.
SFACC has the resources to keep pets and their people together. They have a regular low-cost veterinary clinic and a quarterly vaccine clinic. They also offer a pet food bank.
The increase in animals entering the shelter is not only dogs, it is also guinea pigs and rabbits. Donohue said they get twice as many rabbits in six months as normal.
“It’s a misconception that the pets here are damaged goods, most of the pets here at the shelter are awesome pets, I have a few myself,” she said. “They’re here because things happen to their people, there’s nothing wrong with the animal.”
In an effort to encourage more adoptions, they waive the fees associated with that process for guinea pigs and for dogs five months and older.
“Yeah, I don’t think you’ll find anyone in this building who isn’t adopted.” Donohue said of his employees. The love for the animals they share keeps them going even during difficult times at the shelter.
“You can help a lot, there are a lot of animals in San Francisco and at the same time you have also helped a lot of people,” she went on to say.
