Centre County PAWS has long worked with our transfer partner, Freedom Fences, in Anderson, South Carolina. We peaked during 2018 and 2019, with our teams transferring 18-25 dogs per month from high-risk sheltering environments to the assured safety and placement through PAWS. When the pandemic hit, our dog adoption program slowed dramatically and has struggled to recover. Still, we were able to manage local intake requests while continuing frequent transports with our southern friends and even expanded our network to include other shelters with high rates of euthanasia.
2023 is different. For the first time in nearly a decade, PAWS has ceased regular, monthly intakes with our transfer partners. As we sit solidly in the second half of the year, we can say with certainty that we are in an unprecedented time for PAWS and shelters across the country. Shelter Animals Count, a national database for collecting and sharing credible shelter data, reports that “transfers in and out of organizations [nationally] have hit their lowest point in the past three years.” They go on to explain:
In a healthy animal sheltering ecosystem, transfers play a vital role in helping to balance supply and demand, moving adoptable dogs and puppies from shelters where they’re at risk due to sheer volume, to other parts of the country where they can be adopted easily. Moving dogs and puppies from overcrowded shelters into areas where there is more demand also provides the opportunity to offer a wider variety of adoptable pets, which helps encourage people to adopt from shelters and rescues, rather than purchasing from breeders, pet shops or online suppliers. This was how the system functioned pre-pandemic.
PAWS is receiving more Centre and surrounding County requests for dog placement than we ever have before. Our Mission and Vision compel us to respond to our local needs before expanding to other areas of need. So, year to date, PAWS has both increased total dog intakes by almost 70% compared to 2022 while decreasing transfers by 25%.
What is causing this trend? It’s hard to say for sure, but national trends and PAWS’ own anecdotal experience points to increased eviction rates and general financial insecurity. Pet owners without affordable and pet-friendly housing options face little choice but to rehome their pet(s). Additionally, more people than ever who do not receive help quickly enough or know how to seek help for their dog(s) are clearly resorting to abandonment.
While I’ve aimed to explain the stressful situation we’ve been in these past months, some recent faces probably do a better job. Pictured below are Billy Flynn, Henry Higgins, Powerpuff, and Pancake - 4 of our newer dogs who were abandoned before finding their way to PAWS.
Our Dog Care volunteers and support staff have worked double and triple overtime to respond to our community’s needs these past 9 months. We’ll continue working hard to save as many lives as we possibly can. If you are moved to support our work, we urge you to consider making a one time gift or to enroll in our PAWS Monthly Giving Program to ensure PAWS can continue to step in and help desperate animals in our community.