Helen Woodward Animal Center is taking unprecedented steps to increase adoptions throughout March, according to a news release. In addition to cutting adoption fees in half, the Woodward Center will provide food, cat litter, pet supplies, and even gas cards to help ease the cost of bringing your furry loved one home. It's planned. reason? Record-low pet adoptions from coast to coast are creating a major crisis in the animal welfare world, with an alarming spike in the number of orphaned dogs and cats being euthanized in other parts of the country. There is. The Woodward Center encourages the community to save lives and adopt pets.
Helen Woodward Animal Center says record low pet adoptions around the world are creating a major crisis in the world of animal welfare.
(Courtesy of Helen Woodward Animal Center)
For the past several decades, Helen Woodward Animal Center has focused on transporting orphaned pets from outside San Diego County. Local governments are making the city a safer place for orphaned pets by enacting no-kill ordinances and spay/neuter laws. But in other parts of the country, the number of healthy pets dying simply because they don't have shelter is unimaginable, the news release said. The alarming increase in euthanasia nationwide in 2023 (up 64%) is the result of nearly 1 million fewer pet adoptions than the previous year, according to a report from the Shelter Animals Count (SAC).
But there's a little bit of good news in San Diego. No-kill laws keep orphan pets alive, but a drastic drop in adoptions means shelter dogs and cats spend weeks, months, or even years in kennels. , it is becoming increasingly difficult to collect them. What's worse, these animals are filling kennels while orphaned pets in other parts of the country cannot be transported west to find their own no-kill shelters. .
“The situation is extremely serious,” Loveth Thompson, pet acquisition manager at Helen Woodward Animal Center, said in a news release. “We have to turn away partners that we have worked with for years. They are in tears and frankly we are in tears too. Without space for the animals, We can't bring in any more animals, and the number of adopters is at the lowest it's been in years. We're hearing the same thing from shelters across the country.”
So where are the adopters? Research shows that the decline in adoptions is a result of inflation and unstable political conditions. When families are worried about what will happen next, they are less likely to spend money on non-essentials, with tragic consequences such as loss of life for pets in shelters, the news release states. It has been.
In an effort to stimulate the flow of pets from our rescue partners through Helen Woodward Animal Center's doors and into loving homes, The Woodward Center has taken the drastic step of halving adoption fees. There is. The move was a deliberate move by Mike Arms, president and CEO of Helen Woodward Animal Center.
In an effort to reinvigorate animal adoption, the Woodward Center is cutting adoption fees in half.
(Courtesy of Helen Woodward Animal Center)
“The message that these precious lives are not taken lightly is very important to me,” Arms said in a news release. “We will continue our same rigorous vetting and interview process to ensure these pets are placed with caring owners. The center's adoption fees have always been based on the belief that pets are a responsibility and an investment. But the tremendous loss of life across the country is too much to bear to ignore. We can help families facing high costs and tight budgets. If so, we want to help make it more affordable for dogs and cats to find loving homes. This move frees up space in kennels and removes more orphaned pets from high-kill areas. This will save more lives.”
Helen Woodward Animal Center encourages anyone looking to bring a pet into their home to consider rescuing first and supporting their local animal shelter. During the month of March, Helen Woodward Animal Center will be open seven days a week, adoption fees will be half off, Blue Buffalo will be offering 4 pounds of puppy food, and Naturally Fresh will be offering bags of cat litter. provide. The Pet and Feed Store will be offering a $10 gift card, and the first 100 adopters will receive a $25 gas card. For those who are unable to adopt, the center encourages families to consider becoming foster parents.
For more information, please contact the Helen Woodward Animal Center Adoption Department at 858-756-4117 ext. 313, visit www.animalcenter.org or stop by his location at 6461 El Apajo Road in Rancho Santa Fe.
