People love their pets, treat them as family members, and even designate
special days to honor them. Monday, August 26th, was
National Dog Day which was
started twenty years ago by pet expert and advocate Colleen Paige. As
reported, she chose August 26th as the date since that was when
her family adopted her first dog from a local animal shelter when she was
ten. In 2002, the International Fund for Animal Welfare helped start
International Cat Day
which is celebrated on August 8th to raise awareness about cats
and their welfare. Despite this popularity, animal shelters around the U.S.
have been experiencing problems with overcrowding. We wanted to note the
backstory that led to this circumstance and what a charity donor might do to
help address this growing issue.
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the ASPCA
reported
that more than 23 million households in the U.S. adopted a pet. That surge
in pet ownership, while many were social distancing, emptied out many animal
shelters and increased the demand for pet related services from vet visits
to pet sitters. Several years later, shelters are seeing that trend
reversed. There has been a decline in pet adoptions and some shelters are
experiencing overcrowding conditions. According to statistics gathered by
Shelter Animals Count,
during the first half of this year, 3,118,000 dogs and cats entered shelters
and rescues nationwide. While this is actually 5% less than the same period
in 2023, only 2.7 million of these dogs and cats had a live outcome. As a
result, there is still an increase in the number of animals waiting in
shelters. The end result is 322,000 more pets entered the system than left
during this period. There are a variety of factors that probably led to this
issue including economic conditions in some households, people returning to
their offices, and some having less time to care for their pandemic pet
adoptions.
To help address this overpopulation issue at shelters, BBB Wise Giving
Alliance offers the following tips:
Support your local animal shelters. As there are over
14,000 animal sheltering organizations in the U.S., consider a donation to
help support their work, especially when the demands on their resources are
greater. Also, consider alternatives to financial support such as
volunteering or donating pet food and supplies.
Adopt a shelter dog or cat. If your household is
considering adding a dog or cat to the family, visit an animal shelter to
find your new companion.
Find out about animal food pantries. Animal food pantries
are a growing phenomenon. You can contact them to make a financial or pet
food donation. Animal shelters may operate these pantries or can direct you
to where you can locate them in your community. If your household has
financial challenges, consider accessing their pet food, litter, and other
resources to help care for your pet.
Visit Give.org. In addition to charity reports on
BBB’s Give.org,
check out animal-related charities with your state government’s
charity registration agency, usually a division of either the Attorney
General’s office or Secretary of State’s office. In Canada,
check with the Canada Revenue Agency. Also, registration with a government agency does not signify a
government endorsement or recommendation.
The following are various animal-related charities that meet the 20
BBB Standards for Charity Accountability
(i.e., BBB Accredited Charities.)
ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals)
Guide Dog Foundation and America’s VetDogs
This week’s
Heart of Giving Podcast features
Amir Pasic, the Eugene R. Tempel Dean and Professor of Philanthropic Studies at the
Indiana University Lily Family School of Philanthropy. This university is the
first school devoted to research and teaching about philanthropy.
We are always working with charities to publish or update reports for donors.
Visit Give.org or local BBBs to check out any charity before giving. Our
recently evaluated charities include:
Finally, remember to let us know by going to
give.org/charity-inquiry if you
are interested in seeing a report on a charity not on the list and we will do
our best to produce one.
