Animal shelters are overwhelmed – The West Volusia Beacon

A surge in animal adoptions during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic has turned into a crisis for Volusia County animal shelters, as high housing prices, inflation and a shortage of veterinarians are all contributing to record numbers of pet owners giving up their animals.

Hurricane Ian just made it worse.

Karen Spaulding, executive director of the Southeast Volusia Humane Society in New Smyrna Beach, has worked in animal welfare for 30 years. She said she has never seen an animal-housing crisis as severe as the one the county is facing now.

Halifax is at max capacity. New Hope is at max capacity. Edgewater is almost [at] max capacity, Spaulding said. Even the rescues are at max capacity. Ive never seen it where everyone is at max capacity for this duration of time.

Combined, Halifax Humane Society, the West Volusia Humane Society, and the Southeast Volusia Humane Society can house a total of approximately 575 animals.

Spaulding cited financial constraints as the reason behind most animal surrenders.

Many of the calls that were getting nowadays have to do with finances. The people are having to move, because they cant afford to live where theyre living, Spaulding told The Beacon. But it seems to be at a much higher rate than prior to COVID happening. And then, on top of that, you have so many people adopting less because of the financial constraints that theyre experiencing all more complicated by the hurricane.

Spaulding said people are desperate.

One of the things thats happening is people are dumping animals, just turning them loose, because they dont feel like they have any other options. So were getting a lot more strays in, Spaulding said. The other option is, were getting a lot more requests for euthanasia. Because people have no other options, and they cant afford to take their animals to a vet.

Financial hardship isnt the only problem.

According to Adam Leath, director of Public Protection for Volusia County, which includes Animal Services, lack of access to veterinary care has been one of the largest factors in the increase in surrenders.

It is really challenging for pet owners to get access to veterinary care, and care for preventative medical problems. Theres a veterinary shortage crisis across the country. We do not have enough veterinarians to meet the demand of the rising population and their associated ownership, Leath said.

And, sometimes, owners who were excited to adopt during the COVID-19 pandemic have realized pet ownership wasnt for them.

Barry KuKes, the community outreach and marketing director at Halifax Humane Society, said that some pet owners feel their jobs are finished, now that the height of the pandemic has passed.

People really stepped up and adopted a lot during COVID. And then when COVID has to calm down now, in some peoples minds, its gone, KuKes said. Theyre returning animals because they dont need them anymore, or they cant care for them any longer, because theyre going back to work and traveling and so on.

More than 23 million American households approximately one in five adopted a dog or cat during the pandemic, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

KuKes was baffled by some owners reasoning for surrendering their animals.

You wouldnt think people would return an animal after being with it sometimes as long as two years. And then just say, No, I dont [need it]. Weve had people be as coarse as saying, I dont need this animal anymore. Whats wrong with you? KuKes asked. Why did you get the animal? Yeah, they just wanted some company, and now Im going back to work and I dont want to deal with it. Well, you adopted for the wrong reason to begin with.

Victoria Figueroa, director of the West Volusia Humane Society, said her shelter has seen the same thing.

We also noticed, as the prices of things were starting to go up, once that inflation went up, we noticed that there were a lot more surrendering when it came to pets that had, you know, medical needs, or that were having a little more issues, people werent as willing to kind of be as attentive to those needs as they were before, Figueroa said.

The increase has taxed, not only the capacity of shelters, but the emotional capacity of workers, as well.

Animal welfare is a really, really tough industry. In general, theres this thing called compassion fatigue, and secondary post-traumatic stress, those kinds of things that animal shelter workers experience generally, Southeasts Spaulding said. I think during this time, theyre more susceptible to it, not because of necessarily the surrenders, but because theres also a lot of abuse and neglect cases going on, that were getting way more animals coming in from seizures.

KuKes, at Halifax, concurs.

It takes its toll on, especially, admission staff, because theyre trying to help people. The admission side is the sad side of the building, because its typically somebody whos coming in to surrender, somebody who found a stray dog, but they dont want that and they cant take care of, or theyre looking for a lost pet, KuKes said. Well, if you add, you know, double or 30 percent more surrenders happening, thats that many more people you are dealing with that you are trying to convince not to do something.

Figueroa observed this in the West Volusia Humane Society staff, too.

They get worn out, especially when having to deal with trying to be sympathetic to the public and not getting the same reception back, Figueroa said. It does become an emotional toll on you, because you are trying to do what you can, and when you hit a path that has that block up, that wall and you cant get past it, its hard. It is hard for you as an animal care worker.

This decline in mental health can also be seen in the veterinary field, where there is high pressure on the few available veterinarians, along with severe compassion fatigue.

Suicide in the field of veterinary medicine is quite high. It is a huge burnout, Leath told The Beacon. Rarely do you see a field of study where youre trying so hard every day to make a difference in the lives of pets. And then youre also in the exact same position to have to be considering euthanasia.

A quick note on euthanasiaWhile the three main animal shelters in Volusia County are no-kill, they do offer euthanasia services. Halifax Humane Society offers euthanasia for terminally ill and injured animals, as well as those whose behavior is unstable to the point that the animal is dangerous.Halifax Humane Society, however, said it has ceased performing most of the euthanasia requested by animal owners.The West Volusia Humane Society also offers euthanasia for terminally ill and injured animals, as well as those deemed dangerous by animal control officers.The Southeast Volusia Humane Society offers euthanasia for animals with medical problems and those that have exhibited aggressive behavior.

Animal shelters across Volusia County are urging the community to find alternatives to surrendering their animals.

We went out there on social media and other methods and said, Please dont surrender your animals. Try to find an alternative. Try to rehome your animal. If [somebody says], Im gonna surrender, because I cant afford food to feed my dog. Well give you the food. Here, well help you. Just dont surrender your animal, KuKes said.

Its very easy over the last couple of months to reach capacity, Figueroa said. Adoption has been a little slow, and the surrendering has been a little high. Its not balancing out.

To add to the problem, reaching max capacity has taken the shelters to their limits financially.

An increase in intake means that the limited resources that any one shelter has available is going to be less, Leath said. Its difficult for them to continue to operate.

Now, more than ever, Volusia Countys animal shelters are relying on the help of the community, even for individual animals.

For instance, the Southeast Volusia Humane Society is seeking donations to cover the cost of amputating a dogs leg.

Ian, named after the hurricane he was found running around in, is about a year old. He lost his leg because of a long-untreated shattered knee.

A black-and white-shorthair that may be part Boston terrier, Ian weighs about 30 pounds, and loves to have his belly rubbed. Visit the Southeast Volusia Humane Society website to find out how you can donate to help Ian and his sheltermates.

The Halifax Humane Society and West Volusia Humane Society are also looking for donations. Information can be found on their websites.

If you cannot donate monetarily, you can donate your time. All of the shelters are seeking volunteers.

We love our volunteers. It is a rough time for animal welfare. We surely appreciate compassionate people, Spaulding said.

If you see an animal in need or need pet-related resources, call Volusia County Animal Services at 386-248-1790.

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Animal shelters are overwhelmed - The West Volusia Beacon