Maricopa County Animal Care and Control (MCACC) is battling with an overflow of canines, with numbers hitting 200 more than the shelter's 640 dog capacity. According to 12News, MCACC is currently housing over 840 dogs, significantly straining its resources.
The rise in numbers was initially noticed after the July 4th festivities when 310 stray or lost dogs were found and brought to the shelter. Since then, a scant 41 have been reunited with owners, partly because most lack any sort of identification. As reported by AZFamily, the facility has been grappling with overcapacity for some time, with 797 dogs in their care before the recent influx.
The shelter is not just a place for strays but also for pets surrendered by their owners. "It's a sad reality of how many dogs come in every single day," Kim Powell, communications specialist at MCACC, told 12News. She described the situation as a continuously rotating door, with adopted dogs being replaced almost immediately by new lost or surrendered ones. Notably, a majority of the incoming dogs are neither microchipped nor have identification tags, leaving them held for 72 hours before they become eligible for public adoption.
In response to the dire situation, MCACC has been propelled to waive all adoption fees until July 31, under the "Empty the Shelters" program by BISSELL Pet Foundation, said AZFamily. This gesture aims to encourage adoptions and alleviate overcrowding, with puppy adoption fees reduced to a nominal $75, including vaccines, microchips, and spay/neuter services. Indeed, BISSELL has helped place over 140,000 pets in homes across the U.S. and Canada since 2016.
Factors contributing to the overcapacity include pets acquired during the pandemic and later surrendered as people returned to office work and economic hardships leading to evictions and inability to maintain pet ownership. Powell shared the heartache and stress the current situation places on her team, with the center operating significantly beyond its means. She further calls upon the community to support through volunteering or fostering, emphasizing that community support "means everything."
To learn more about volunteering, fostering, or adopting a dog from MCACC, visit their website for further details.
