Sadly, these pictures, as cute as they are, aren't telling the whole story. Many shelters are having a bad time, and New York City's largest has just hit a sad milestone.
Rocky, an 11-year-old senior dog surrendered by his owner, became the 1,000th animal at the Animal Care Centers of New York City, which announced on July 18 that its three shelters stopped accepting dogs, cats, bunnies, and other critters, except in dire emergencies.
"We’re in the business to care for animals that come to us, and we want to help people with their pets, but when we have 1,000 animals to care for and a capacity to house them that doesn’t meet that need, we’re in a bit of a difficult situation,” ACC President and CEO Risa Weinstock told the press.
Weinstock said after they made the announcement to suspend intakes, 200 animals were still accepted into their shelters that were either a public safety risk or sent by city agencies.
The situation is so desperate that New York City stepped in Friday with $1 million to help ACC, “but we are asking the public to work with us to slow down what is coming in," Weinstock added.
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And it's not just NYC struggling. As the cost of living rises, animal shelters across the country are at critical capacity dealing with an influx of surrendered pets, often due to the price tag associated with their care.
An estimated 5.8 million animals filled up facilities last year, according to the nonprofit Shelter Animals Count's national database. While there was a 1% decrease in shelter intakes from 2023 to 2024, there are other factors at play. For example, in 2019, 55% of shelter dogs had "live outcomes," meaning they were adopted or returned to their owner. That number dropped to 50% in 2024, with about 334,000 canines being euthanized.
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The price of pet care has been exploding. A Bank of America Institute report found that since 2019, prices of services like veterinary care and grooming have gone up 42%, with the cost of goods like food and treats surging 22%.
That has led pet owners to pull back on pet-related transactions: card spending at pet stores dropped by 4% from April 2024 to this April, and spending at vets declined 1% during the same period.
"The main reason for pet surrender is, 'I can’t afford it.' Vet care is expensive, food is expensive, I mean, just human cost of living is expensive," Weinstock said.
Shelters are working to provide new resources to persuade pet owners to reconsider or delay surrendering their pets. The ACC in New York provides free food, vaccine clinics and veterinarian vouchers—"anything "we can do to help you keep your pet," Weinstock explained.
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