Animal shelters see high number of intakes in 2021 compared to previous years

MORGANTOWN, Ky. – Local shelters have been battling some of the highest capacities they have ever seen throughout the course of 2021.

According to shelter workers, many spay neuter clinics were shut down during a portion of 2020 and many of the animals that would have been altered were not.

Because of this, the shelters are seeing an overload of new litter of puppies and kittens.

Some shelters are even having to resort to euthanasia after having gone several years without having to euthanize for space.

In October, the Bowling Green Warren County Humane Society took in over 1,000 animals in just one month. That is equal to about 32 animal per day.

Shelter workers are experiencing a sense of heartbreak, helplessness and hopelessness and don’t expect the animal numbers to return to pre-covid numbers for several years and they work to spay an neuter as many animals as possible.

“A lot of the general public, they do not realize how bad it has been this year. And what I would just want to reach out to them and let them know, that even though you’re seeing a lot of adoptions going on, some things you’re not seeing on there are the ones that are having to be euthanized because of lack of space. There are shelters that have never euthanized for space before that are having to resort to that this year, unfortunately, because there’s just not enough homes for them all,”  said Ruby Fooks, the executive director of the Butler County Animal Shelter.

Shelters desperately need homes for foster animals and ask anyone who could keep a litter of kittens or a litter or puppies to contact their local shelter and take that on.

They say having those animal out of the shelter for even a month can make a huge difference.

They also ask that you get your pets spayed and neutered and are accepting cleaning supply donations.