WEST VALLEY CITY — West Valley City's Animal Shelter is full right now, as are state shelters across the state that have a surge of pets waiting for adoption.
This is in sharp contrast to their status at the height of the pandemic, when shelters were emptying out as people sheltering in place decided it was time to get a pet.
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West Valley City's Animal Services Director Melanie Bennett said just a few years ago they were so empty that they had to borrow prospective pets from other shelters.
But now, the shelter has over 170 animals because of an influx of strays who are waiting for their forever home.
West Valley City's shelter—which also serves Taylorsville—is so full that kennels that normally house one dog are now split in half to accommodate the overflow.
Bennett believes that one cause of the spike is breeders who are abandoning dogs that they can't sell.
"We are afraid a lot tried to supplement income during the pandemic by breeding. Now we are getting all these one and two-year-olds they can't keep anymore, and they are not able to get them homes," she added.
Statistics from 2022 are not yet complete, but according to Best Friends Animal Society in Kanab, 8,000 more dogs and cats were euthanized in 2021 over 2020, for a total of 355,000 nationwide.
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"It's scary now because anecdotally across the country, we are hearing from shelters saying they have been no kill for years now . . . and are so full they are facing the decision of having to kill animals for space," said Best Friends Animal Society's Temma Martin.
In 2021, Utah saw nearly a ten percent increase in the number of cats and dogs entering shelters, so Best Friends and shelters like that in West Valley City are begging people to choose adoption over shopping when seeking a pet.
"There are puppies available for adoption. They’re basically pets that became homeless, through no fault of their own that need a new home. That's how you know your choice is saving a life rather than adding to this crisis," said Martin.
West Valley is a no-kill shelter, but with more animals coming in than going out through adoption, they need relief—and hope these pets can soon find a loving home.
