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Marie Belew Wheatley's Blog

Hard Times Hitting -- and Hurting -- Animal Shelters

Posted September 10, 2009

I’ve been hearing lately that the recession is over, or almost over, or will be over by the end of the year. Apparently nobody knows for sure, but one thing is certain: Millions of Americans have lost businesses, jobs and homes -- or are on the brink of doing so. Times are still tough, and it’s not only humans who have been hit hard by the economic downturn.

Animal shelters and rescue groups across the country are facing a dangerous double whammy as a result of the recession. They’re taking in more homeless pets whose families are giving them up, either because they can’t afford to care for them anymore, or because their homes have been foreclosed on and they no longer have a place to keep their pets.

At the same time, these shelters and rescues have less money to care for the growing pet population due to fewer donations by a financially strapped public and -- in some cases -- dwindling investments.

It’s a perfect storm of circumstances that has created a genuine crisis for a growing number of animal care and control agencies that are being forced to shut their doors and desperately try to find homes for the animals in their care. Here are just a few cases that I’m personally familiar with:

• The Montgomery County Humane Society in Rockville, Md., closed one of its shelters in early September due to a 15 percent drop in donations during the past year.
• The Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals announced the closure of three of its seven animal care and adoption centers in February, along with the elimination of 46 positions, after losing 25.7 percent of its endowment in 2008.
• The Bideawee Animal Shelter’s facility in Wantagh, N.Y., closed in March and laid off 36 employees, citing a 30 percent decline in contributed revenue since October 2008 and nearly $2 million in lost investments.
• The Watertown Humane Society in Wisconsin has been devastated by a drop in donations of more than 70 percent from July 2008 to July 2009, and has been making pleas to the bank and the public for financial help in order to remain open.

Here’s what these unfortunate stories are saying to me, loud and clear: Animal shelters need support from their communities now more than ever. If you’ve never adopted a dog, gone to look for a lost cat or taken a stray animal to your local shelter, you may not even know where it is. But believe me, that shelter provides an important service to both the people and the animals in your community -- one that would be sorely missed if it had to close down.

Support for your local shelter can come in many forms. Of course, contributions of money are always welcome, but you can also contribute your time. With staffing being cut at some shelters, they are in real need of volunteers to walk dogs, brush cats, clean kennels, take pet photos or help out with any number of other important duties. And shelters make wonderful places for kids to volunteer and to learn empathy and compassion, especially when they don’t have a pet at home.

You can also help out by donating in-demand items such as cat or dog food and treats, pet toys, towels and blankets, laundry soap and bleach, garbage bags, paper towels or office supplies. Ask your shelter for its “wish list,” and hold a community drive to collect whatever it needs most.

Or get out there and encourage your local newspaper or TV station to do stories about the shelter or a regular weekly feature starring some of the adoptable pets.

Speaking of adoptions, maybe you’ve been thinking about bringing a new pet into your home and your heart. If so, I urge you to go to your local shelter, where so many dogs, cats and other creatures are waiting to be part of a loving family. It’s the best kind of support you can offer -- and the most rewarding. If you can’t adopt a pet right now, consider fostering an animal that isn’t faring well in the shelter until its forever home can be found.

Thanks to generous donations from animal lovers even in these difficult times, American Humane is providing financial assistance to shelters that care for abused and neglected animals with our Second Chance® Fund Grants, and to shelters that take in animal victims of foreclosure with our Foreclosure Pets Grants.

Together, we can all make a huge difference in the lives of homeless animals and in the continued success of the shelters in our communities. So many animals -- and the people who care for them -- are depending on us.

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