Animal Shelters Are Bursting Again: What Can We Do?
Bay Area shelters are bursting at the seams with dogs. photo: Kelly Winquist
In case you haven't heard, the animal shelters are full again. And the problem isn't limited to just San Francisco or the Bay Area. It's everywhere. I think back to the early days of the pandemic when the shelters were empty. Dogs, cats, guinea pigs, rabbits, birds - all manner of creatures were flying off the shelves. Talk about a silver lining.
Animals were great company for the new home office, providing a welcome relief from the daily grind of back-to-back online meetings. Sharing the home office with a furry pet meant occasional interruptions for belly rubs, treats, and strolls in the park, not to mention sharp warnings that the suspicious person in brown shorts was delivering boxes again.
Now here we are in 2022 with folks resuming their new-normal work schedules, and the shelters are full again. Dr. Shari O'Neill, Chief Shelter Veterinarian at San Francisco Animal Care and Control (ACC) and advisor to the Animal Commission, regularly reports the monthly statistics and trends at ACC, and at our last meeting, the current trends had commissioners and the public attendees concerned. However, a deeper dive into the data reveals a somewhat more nuanced picture. There is a lot to uncover in the data, but I’ll focus this summary on the dog population.
What Do the Stats Tell Us?
ACC Executive Director Virginia Donohue noted that dog intake numbers are not as high as they were in 2019; however, an animal’s typical length of stay is longer. At previous commission meetings, we learned that "length of stay" is an indicator shelters use to track success. Animal shelters measure the length of stay from when the animal comes into the shelter system to when the animal is actually adopted. Length of stay is different from "days in care," which represents the number of days an animal has been at the shelter and not adopted or transferred to an animal rescue.
ACC works with over 100 rescue partners to keep animals moving, but many rescue partners are now full, too. ACC doesn't track "days in care" but could, and perhaps should. In any case, these extended stays are clogging the pipeline. If success is getting animals adopted quickly, each extra day in the shelter chips away at that goal. Sadly, data reveal that the bigger the dog, the longer the stay. And the more days in care, the harder it is to move the animal out.
photo: Kelly Winquist
Big Dogs, Big Problem. Why?
Many shelters are full of large, exuberant, young - but not puppy young - dogs. It's a common assumption that these dogs are pandemic returns, but that's not necessarily what the data show. Compared to 2019, there is a slight uptick in strays versus owner-surrenders. Reasons for owner-surrenders vary, but often it's a housing issue and not behavior related. In fact, according to a recent study by Best Friends, 14.1 % of canines surrendered by owners are surrendered due to housing issues. In San Francisco's competitive housing market, it's hard enough for a single person with a decent income to find housing. Even with resumes, letters of referral, and a substantial security deposit, a four-legged, 90-pound, two-year-old roommate drops you to the bottom of the prospective tenant pile.
This population of dogs is keeping ACC's Behavior and Training team busy. I spoke with Rebecca Frank, a dog trainer, and behaviorist at ACC. As the days in care increase, so do the dog's frustration levels. An excited and rambunctious large dog is overwhelming for any adopter looking for that perfectly trained pooch that slips right into the home. All dogs, more specifically, all dogs and all adopters, need training. Bay Woof Publisher, M Rocket, who attended our last meeting, asked about preventative measures the shelters may take such as offering training but was told most don’t have the time or staff. The SF/SPCA recently ended its Public Dog Training program, though it still has a Behavior Specialty Clinic. Costly private consultation services are booked six months out, and most folks can’t wait that long or pay that much.
What Can We Do?
Shop and adopt local
During the pandemic, a lack of local inventory at shelters turned desperate adopters to the internet, where some were even taken in by fraudulent dog scams. If you’re in the market for a new pet, please visit your local or rescue partners first and encourage friends and family to do the same.
Invest in training
Consider the latest science-based positive reinforcement techniques. Ask the shelter about training options that fit your budget and time. A willingness to invest the time and energy in effective and humane training makes for a happy home for all.
Pet-friendly housing
If housing is a barrier to dog adoption, there must be something to incentivize landlords to accept tenants with dogs, for example, security deposits and proof of training. The American Kennel Club has created an official Canine Good Citizen (CGC) test for dogs to demonstrate that they are well-behaved companions at home and in the community.
ISO Large Dog Lovers
There are loads of "Clear the Shelter" adoption promotions, but are shelters exploring campaigns to dispel breed biases and uncover the large dog lovers in the community? If the complaint is that a large dog needs more space, I say look outside. San Francisco backyards aren't sprawling, but our parks are! Also, remember that many large dogs are just big couch potatoes, happy to nap the day away without demanding frequent walks like their small (and small-bladdered) counterparts. All that and no yapping - just a hearty bark that’s an excellent security feature.
But no matter the size, is there a better place to be a dog than San Francisco? From where I sit on the Animal Commission, I doubt it.
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Please be aware that the views and opinions expressed in this column are those of Commissioner Tobin and do not necessarily reflect the official policies or positions of the Commission of Animal Control and Welfare.
The San Francisco Commission of Animal Control and Welfare meets at 5:30 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month, except December. At this time, the commission is still meeting remotely. For more information, visit https://sf.gov/public-body/commission-animal-control-and-welfare