SPRINGFIELD — It has been one of the worst years for animal shelters when it comes to overcrowding.
The National Database’s Shelter Animals Count reports dog intakes are up 15 percent this year compared to 2021.
In the Miami Valley one shelter is on its last resort.
“It’s horrendous. It’s truly horrendous. People have no idea,” Sandi Click, executive director and chief dog warden at the Clark County Dog Shelter said.
For the past year, the shelter has had to make the difficult decision of which dogs to euthanize.
“I would say there’s probably been close to a couple hundred,” Click said.
With the majority of them put down to free up cages.
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“Under the Ohio Revised Code, we’re required to have space available for those stray dogs,” she said.
Click said she has seen a trend that is concerning her.
“We have seen a tremendous upsurge in the past several months of dogs that are abandoned by their owners.” She said. “It’s very concerning.”
The shelter is a municipal shelter meaning it is funded to house stray dogs.
But with so many animals being abandoned, they take space from the strays.
So the dogs have to be evaluated to choose which will be euthanized.
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“I don’t believe in a kill list. I think that’s very manipulative,” Click said. “No dog comes in here with a number on its head that says it will be here for three days, or 10 days, or 15 days.”
She said selection comes down to two things.
“If a dog has such a horrible temperament or such severe health problems,” Click said.
But the main goal is to get all the dogs reunited or adopted.
Click believes increasing costs may have a part to play in fewer dogs being adopted.
“It’s making it more and more difficult. Most of our dogs here that are adoptable, most of them do receive a positive outcome,” she said.
The shelter said donations are always needed and asked that people license their dogs so they can easily track down their owners.