大象传媒

In May, , who had been working in animal welfare for two decades, was attacked by Brie, a 63-pound dog that had been exhibiting signs of fear, anxiety, and stress. When Corea went into a kennel at Harbor Shelter in San Pedro, California, to care for Brie, the dog went for her leg and, according to Corea, 鈥渟tarted fighting me like crazy.鈥� Though Corea screamed for help, a volunteer said , so there was no one close enough to respond to her cries.

鈥淚t does affect the dogs when they are caged like that, without getting walks, or exercise or any stimulation or any human contact,鈥� the volunteer told NBC Los Angeles. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not natural for them to live like that. It鈥檚 inhumane.鈥�

Corea, who underwent three surgeries for the injuries she sustained in the attack, left the field after the incident, but the incident still highlights the consequences of the crowding crisis spreading through animal shelters in the U.S.鈥攁nd as a geographically, culturally, and socioeconomically diverse state, California鈥檚 approach to this overcrowding crisis could be an incubator for other states facing similar issues.

鈥淲e are very overcrowded right now,鈥� an animal control officer in Southern California who asked to remain anonymous tells 大象传媒. 鈥淚t鈥檚 resulted in a dangerous working environment, not just for staff but for the people who have to do business in the shelter, the public, the volunteers, our own animals. We鈥檙e having to jam them into cages with other animals. Sometimes there鈥檚 fights, or they鈥檙e not being cleaned as often as they should be.鈥�

Data organization Shelter Animals Count estimates , with 69,988 non-live outcomes such as euthanasia or unassisted death in care and 302,698 live outcomes, including adoption, transfer, and return to owner. The remainder are still in the care of shelters, rescues, or fosters.

Lisa Young, a veteran of animal welfare and executive director of Rescue Train, a Los Angeles鈥揵ased organization, describes the current situation as 鈥渢he worst I鈥檝e ever seen.鈥� It has been compounded by the state鈥檚, and , a , and the dramatic .

A looking at national trends found 43 percent of respondents cited costs as a concern for prospective adopters, with people making less than $75,000 annually experiencing increased financial barriers. Vet care in particular is a serious issue, according to the report, which identifies a growing number of veterinary 鈥渄eserts鈥� where care is not simply not available at any price.

鈥淚n East Valley,鈥� a shelter Rescue Train partners with, 鈥渢hey have animals in crates in the hallways,鈥� Young shares. 鈥淚t鈥檚 disgusting, it鈥檚 inhumane. I鈥檝e never seen animals in the hallways living in crates.鈥� Young is quick to note that this is not the fault of shelter workers, who are 鈥渏ust here trying to clean up the mess of our community,鈥� but is instead a symptom of how dire the issue is.

Nina Thompson, director of public relations at the San Diego Humane Society, which operates a shelter that also manages animal care services contracts from 13 cities in San Diego County, explains that overcrowding has serious consequences for shelter animals. 鈥淎ny time that you have too many animals in kennels, there are disease outbreaks, and also the stress of sitting in a kennel for long periods of time increases with time.鈥�

San Diego Humane is experiencing an uptick in upper respiratory illnesses and a rise in the number of 鈥渂ehavior dogs鈥� who are not coping well with life in the kennels, especially young, large dogs with high energy who aren鈥檛 getting adequate exercise and enrichment. Length of stay for at least 100 dogs at the shelter was more than three months, and large dogs across the state and country are similarly lingering longer in shelters. Shelter Animals Count reports the has doubled since 2019.

Organizations such as , founded in 2020 by Austin Pets Alive! and a coalition of animal welfare partners, propose investing resources in keeping animals out of shelters altogether. Shelter intervention programs, a relatively recent innovation in animal welfare, include pet food pantries, free and low-cost veterinary care, spay/neuter programs, help with pet deposits and landlord disputes, behavior counseling, and assistance with self-rehoming.

Models that approach animal sheltering as part of a larger community care program are working; San Diego Humane, for example, has managed to fulfill its pledge to 鈥�,鈥� with no euthanasia of healthy, treatable animals. Pasadena Humane鈥檚 program has been similarly successful.

High-volume spay/neuter, which streamlines surgical processes to alter as many animals as possible while still maintaining quality, may also be a part of the solution. This approach involves coordination to keep animals constantly moving through the various stages of surgery, from initial induction to recovery. It鈥檚 particularly valuable for and can be done as a mobile or pop-up event to eliminate barriers such as transport and travel.

Related community clinics such as that at can also decrease barriers to access to veterinary care; on a tour of the facility in August, staff highlighted the clinic鈥檚 critical role in keeping pets and people together by providing affordable vet care to families who might otherwise surrender their animals.

However, shelters are in critical need of more funding to reduce intake, administer these creative community programs, and safely house the animals who will inevitably need care. While there are some grant programs such as those offered by or , a state-funded program administered by the University of California, Davis鈥� Koret Shelter Medicine Program, it hasn鈥檛 been enough to meet the need.

Increasing government contracts (which can seem large as budget line items鈥攊n San Francisco, Animal Care and Control ) could help shelters expand their services and capacity.

And, Young argues, more philanthropists need to open their pockets: Despite a growing awareness of , a found that just 3 percent of philanthropy in 2020 went to the environment and animals, a small slice of the $471.44 billion donated by individuals, foundations, corporations, and bequests. 鈥淥f all the money donated in this country鈥濃�攁 nation of animal lovers with 90 million dogs and 74 million cats, according to the 鈥斺�渁nd with all these foundations closing, it鈥檚 a scary time.鈥�

Community buy-in is also key to any solution, says Lisa Kauffman, a campaign strategist at . She鈥檚 working on the , which is pressuring county officials to improve conditions at three municipal shelters, including 鈥渙ne of the highest-intake shelters in the United States.鈥� The grassroots campaign encourages residents to show up at community meetings and includes extensive Spanish-language outreach to connect with stakeholders who are sometimes overlooked.

An engaged community doesn鈥檛 just adopt animals and create more space in shelters for animals who vitally need it. It鈥檚 also more likely to foster, getting vulnerable animals such as neonates, seniors, and long-stay dogs out of the shelter and into homes where they can decompress and experience socialization. Large foster programs are especially valuable for rescues, which can serve the community without a physical shelter location. In addition to fostering, community members who volunteer also relieve pressure on underfunded, overcrowded shelters and their staff.

For California鈥檚 animals, this moment may feel bleak, but, Young says, 鈥渓ike any storm, it will pass.鈥� They just need a helping hand, from lawmakers drafting policies that help animals such as , which would restrict 鈥渘o pets鈥� housing policies, to the workers who creatively utilize resources for the animals in their care, to the volunteers who show up every day, rain or shine.