Valley animal shelters overwhelmed

Posted at 10:25 PM on Saturday, Nov. 28, 2009

For thousands of Valley pets, the recession is a death sentence.

Layoffs and foreclosures have forced families to give up pets in large numbers, loading shelters that already were struggling. And if Fluffy or Fido are older or have chronic medical needs, that means they are less adoptable -- and more likely to be killed.

"We can't give them as much time to stay up for adoption," said Beth Caffrey of the Central California Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. "The euthanasia rate climbs when that happens."

The situation has become so dire, Caffrey said, that just last week the SPCA board decided to start charging pet owners for surrendered animals: $10 per pet, $25 per litter. The new fee starts Monday.

The agency needed a new source of revenue because it expects budget cuts from the city of Fresno and Fresno County, she said. Meanwhile, donations of food and money are down.

But shelter officials are worried the fee may increase pet abandonment, or that owners will say their surrendered pet is a stray, which would require the shelter to keep the animal five days instead of putting it up for adoption immediately -- and increase crowding.

Shelters in the Valley -- long a leader in euthanizing strays -- had been making progress in recent years on reducing shelter crowding and the kill rate, Caffrey said.

Campaigns to encourage owners to spay and neuter pets helped lower the number of animals killed each year at the Fresno shelter to 27,000. But with more pets abandoned and fewer adoptions during economic hard times, the number of euthanized animals likely will climb back to 33,000 this year, she said.

Some pets wind up in shelters after owners lose their home and have to move into an apartment. The parting can be sorrowful, said Linda Guthrie, board president of Animal Rescue Fresno.

"We are getting calls from people who have had their dogs 10 years and have to give them up," she said. "Some are just bawling, and your heart breaks for them."

The number of dogs given up this year by Fresno owners is up 50%, to 3,900, compared to last year, Caffrey said.

Animal rescues and shelters have suffered during the recession, particularly in states like California, Florida, Nevada and Arizona where the real estate bust hit hardest, said Stephen L. Zawistowski, executive vice president for national programs and science adviser for The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Based on real estate industry numbers and pet ownership figures, the ASPCA estimates 1 million to 2 million pets have been abandoned since the recession began in December 2007.

Shelters are not only struggling with more animals and fewer donations of food and money, but also fewer volunteers, Caffrey said.

"People who used to volunteer need another job to make ends meet because they were let go from jobs or their hours were cut back," she said.

In addition, she said, some folks who used to donate food are now coming to the shelter, asking for food for their pets.

Shelters are tightening their belts and intensifying their requests for help from the community. At the Madera County shelter, donations are coming in at a steady rate, said Kirsten Gross, Madera County Animal Control director.

"It seems like every time we send out a cry for help, we get it because Madera is still a close-knit, giving community," Gross said.

Meanwhile, more local shelters must compete harder for help from animal rescue groups from outside the Valley.