The Utah Humane Society is asking the community for help after finding that kennels are full and struggling to take in more dogs.
Barking and howling filled the halls on Wednesday, and friendly, furry faces filled every kennel at Humane Society’s Murray Shelter. Last week was not so full.
“We see a lot of large dogs, so usually dogs over 45/50 pounds.” Guinevere Schuster, Director of Marketing and Communications, Humane Society of Utah, said:
The Utah Humane Society is overwhelmed with dogs after about 60 large dogs and puppies showed up at the facility in the past five days, bringing the total number of dogs in its care to 80.
What’s the main reason they’re seeing such a huge influx? Shuster said the owners surrendered due to housing instability.
“Unfortunately, I think a lot of people are now dependent on whether they can afford a pet or find affordable housing that allows them to have a large dog,” she said. .
Shuster said he was unable to transfer dogs from other shelters due to the increased number of dogs. The Utah Humane Society typically adopts many dogs through adoption programs. Shuster said dogs can be adopted from shelters across Utah. This also includes rural areas where there are not many adoptees.
Many of Utah’s animal shelters are at capacity
“Unfortunately, when our kennels are full, our first responsibility is to the community and the individuals who need our help,” Shuster said.
They’re trying to work with people who need to hand over their dogs, and Shuster says that if anyone has an appointment, they’ll call and ask them to keep the dog for another week to prevent overcrowding at the Utah Humane Society. He explained that he would ask the
Dogs that cannot be accommodated in shelters are taken to foster parents.
On Wednesday afternoon, Katie Knighton walked in the front door and saw a large dog named Simba. After realizing he was too big for his family, he found his 8-week-old puppy, Hazelnut, whom he saw on his media page on the Utah Humane Society social.
Knighton requested a meet and greet with Hazelnut. Her delicate puppy quivered and curled up when Knighton hugged her.
“She’s just wrapped up in my arms,” Knighton said, stroking Hazelnut’s back softly.
Shuster hopes that many people like Knighton will come and fall in love with puppies like Hazelnut.
“This is it,” said Knighton, holding a small ball of fur under his arm. “She does. We have her two other dogs, so she gets along well with them.”
The Utah Humane Society is recruiting large breed dogs this weekend. According to Schuster, the adoption fee for all dogs weighing 50 pounds or more he will be reduced by 50%. The Utah Humane Society hosts events on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm.
