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Shelters are at their breaking point in SC

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Shelters are at their breaking point in SC

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They cannot keep up with the large amount of animals flooding in, there are too many animals and not enough space.
Dorchester Paws has already maxed out their capacity.
Horry County Animal Care Center in Conway had to temporarily close its doors after taking  in over 170 animals in august.
Greenville County Animal Care has such a large amount of animals it is euthanizing some for space.
There are many other shelters suffering as well.

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Too many animals, not enough space - that's been the mantra of humane societies and shelters throughout South Carolina for months.

The Charleston Animal Society on Sept. 1 called the situation a state of emergency, saying that almost every shelter in the state is "at the breaking point."

Dorchester Paws took in 21 cats and kittens on Aug. 27 after a home burned down in Summerville, maxing out the already at-capacity shelter. In nearby Moncks Corner, Berkeley Animal Center has been in their new, larger building for a little over a year, but has so many animals it has resorted to using pop-up cages.

The Horry County Animal Care Center in Conway has had to temporarily close to treat animals after taking in over 170 animals in August.

In the upstate, Greenville County Animal Care has so many animals it is euthanizing some for space - something they hate doing, said Paula Church, the shelter's community relations coordinator.

She said they look at animals with behavioral issues - for example, if a dog had bitten a child - and severe medical issues that would require lots of time and expense.

"If we had the time, we could find placement for them," Church said. "But we don't have months and months to find space for animals that have behavior and medical issues."

Part of the problem was caused by the winding down of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, which at first took the burden off shelters as more people adopted pets to keep families busy or to be company for employees working from home.

Joe Elmore, president and CEO of Charleston Animal Society, said shelters had been anticipating intake numbers to increase after that initial adoption surge. When lockdowns first began in 2020, the American Veterinary Medical Association recommended all veterinarians in the country pull back from elective procedures, such as spaying and neutering, so it would not tax the healthcare system.

"We usually do about 10,000 surgeries a year," Elmore said. "But in the spring of 2020, when hospitals were overwhelmed, we stopped doing those elective type of procedures. We only did what was necessary and pulled back the number of public spay-neutering."

Elmore said shelters are now seeing the results of putting off those surgeries, with more animals being born than there are people who can keep them.

Other factors also are at play. Of the 75 animal shelters in South Carolina, 75 percent of them do not have a veterinarian on staff, according to Elmore. This makes adoption harder because state law mandates the animals cannot be adopted unless they are fixed.

State law also says an animal that is brought to a shelter must be held for five days before being treated.

As people move in, animals move out

In areas like Charleston County, growth and development are also a factor in overcrowding. As more people and buildings push strays and feral animals out of their natural habitat, more of those animals are surrendered to shelters.

"We get calls from time to time here with people saying, 'I've gotten deer in my yard, and I've never had deer in my yard.' It's because they're being flushed out from the development," Elmore said. "The same thing will happen with feral cats and dogs. Folks will then start calling animal control, animal control will go out and start bringing more and more of these animals in."

Dorchester Paws, which has been operating over maximum capacity and been "in crisis mode" all summer, understands that growth and development in the Summerville area is having a huge impact on animals. Danielle Zuck, marketing and development director, said there are plans for Dorchester Paws to get a new, bigger building.

"Our building was designed to be a holding facility 50 years ago," Zuck said. "It was not designed to have taken 4,000 animals a year, and that's the number that we're anticipating taking this year, if not more."

Usually, Dorchester Paws takes in about 10 to 15 animals per day on average, Zuck said. Recently, it has been taking in 15 to 35 animals per day. That, combined with slower adoptions, is playing a big part in the overcrowding of the shelter.

"We're constantly playing this jigsaw game of animals," Zuck said.

Not only is the building old and too small to accommodate all of those pets, it also is in a flood zone. Every time it rains, Dorchester Paws is flooded and the animals in kennels are stuck standing in water, Zuck said. The staff has to take buckets to try and empty the shelter of floodwater.

In December, Dorchester Paws purchased land along Highway 17A - not in a flood zone. Now they're in the midst of a financial campaign to help fund a new building on the property, one that will include a spay and neuter clinic. They are still in the process of figuring out the cost of building, but it's estimated to cost somewhere between $3 and $8 million.

Zuck said Dorchester Paws is excited the new location will be in a growing neighborhood, right by the Palms and Summer's Corner.

"Summerville is one of the fastest growing cities," Zuck said. "We need the shelter badly in order to provide for the new population that's coming in."

A new building will also help Dorchester Paws elevate its status as a shelter, she added.

"A lot of people still don't know that Dorchester Paws exists. They either call us the pound, or they don't know where we're located," Zuck said. "A new shelter will just bring this brand up and elevate our mission for the animals."

Right now, Dorchester Paws has over 400 animals in their care, with almost half of them living in a kennel or pop-up in the shelter.

Zuck said the shelter has made Dorchester Paws' adoption process simple over the past year to try and incentivize people to adopt: just a one-page application, reduced fees and a conversation with an adoption counselor.

"We have removed all barriers from the adoption process," Zuck said. "We want animals to be placed in loving homes."

Zuck said it is hard to say why adoptions have been slow, but there could be several reasons: summer vacation, back-to-school, current world affairs.

One thing that isn't a factor is a significant uptick in pets adopted in 2020 going back to shelters. Elmore said it is a myth that people surrendered their animals as soon as they returned to work.

"We saw some people who were returning to work actually coming back to adopt a companion animal for the animal," Elmore said.

Finding homes

As a result of most shelters in the state being overcrowded, some are partnering up to ship animals to others that don't have as many animals.

Elmore, of Charleston Animals Society, said they've started a statewide transport program where his staff takes animals to other local shelters, and even ones out of state. Some shelters Charleston Animals Society partners with include Hallie Hill Animal Sanctuary in Hollywood and the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty for Animals.

Church, of Greenville County Animal Care, said the shelter partners with rescue organizations almost daily to transport animals to other shelters. Some organizations they partner with include the Animal Sanctuary Society (New Jersey), Hearts of the North Rescue (Minnesota), Jackson's Legacy (New York) and Lovable Mutts Adoption Center (Pennsylvania).

Tiffany Hoffman, event coordinator for Berkeley Animal Center, said the shelter is lined up with pop-ups.

"As much as I don't want a dog in a pop-up, it's still saving a life," Hoffman said.

The center has recently relocated to a bigger building with more amenities, including a surgical suite, a meet-and-greet room and play yards. After being in the new building for 14 months, Hoffman said the staff are grateful they now have more space and are able to not just take better care of the animals they have, but also take in more.

"We are able to care for more animals, but with that, we need more fosters. We need more volunteers, more adopters," Hoffman said. "With (the new building) comes the need for the community."

Hoffman said there are many community members that already help. Those who foster pets are essential.

"We have a very hardworking staff, but we could not save the thousands of animals without the fosters," Hoffman said.

Hoffman said fostering from Berkeley Animal Center is completely free, and they have a 24/7 phone service for fosters in case they have questions about the animal they're taking care of. She said the center also provides food crates and medical care.

"We literally give everything needed," Hoffman said. "They just have to give the love."

Hoffman said the staff - a group of just over 10 - often fosters animals as well.

"Our staff work here because they love animals," Hoffman said. "If you work in animal rescue, if you work in an animal shelter, you do it because of your love of an animal."

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Animal shelters in SC are at a breaking point. Pet adoptions can't keep up with intake

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Too many animals, not enough space - that's been the mantra of humane societies and shelters throughout South Carolina for months. The Charleston Animal Society on Sept. 1 called the situation a state of emergency, saying that almost every shelter in the state is "at the breaking point."

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It is a common misconception that all breeders are to blame for the tremendous amounts of animals on the streets and in shelters. That is untrue, there are responsible breeders that partake in interviews with potential new owners to ensure they are a good fit.
There are irresponsible breeders who are not concerned for the animals health, if the home is not a good fit and do not regain responsibility for the animal, which results in taking them to shelters and etc.

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WorldAnimalFoundation.org is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn More

Overpopulation of animals is a phenomenon when the number of any given species increases to an alarming extent and the ecosystem fails to support the survival of its inhabitants.

It is a pressing issue for the entire planet as the exceeding burden of overpopulated species create turbulence in the cosmic harmony of living things.

Animal "overpopulation" occurs due to many reasons: (1) allowing animals to reproduce with little to no chance of finding homes for the little ones, and (2) Owners abandoning pets because they no longer want them around. Pet ownership comes with great responsibility!

The failure to understand how a single litter of puppies or cats can potentially produce hundreds of offspring results in a terrible outcome of overflow and, consequently, animal euthanasia.

Animal Overpopulation Crisis

Animal overpopulation has definitely become a global crisis. There are simply not enough homes for the number of abandoned animals. As cats and dogs are domesticated animals, they can not survive in the wild or on the streets. They depend largely on humans for food, shelter, and protection.

The animals involved that are without loving homes are either forced to enter shelters or left on roadsides. A large number of pets are given up by their pet parents for being too old or too sick or because they could simply not afford to keep them.

The reasons also include allergies, moving out, or incompatibility with a family member or other pets.

Another reason for overflow is that people associate pets with the status symbol and prefer buying a true breed over animals adopted from the pound. This puts a lot of pressure on shelter systems.

The state has to maintain the finances to sustain such a large number of animals. According to USA Today, "It costs US taxpayers approximately $2 billion each year to round up, house, kill and dispose of homeless animals."

Alarming Statistics

Each day, an estimated 70,000 puppies and kittens are born in the USA alone. The number is estimated at 27 million each year. Tragically, millions of these are put down or euthanized due to overpopulation.

On average, approximately 6.3 million companion animals enter shelters every year. Only 3.2 million of these are adopted, and 1.5 million are euthanized because animal shelters can no longer sustain them.

Irresponsible Caretakers

When pet owners fail to spay or neuter their pets, they end up having accidental litter that is either too expensive to maintain or is just unwanted. Resultantly, the litter ends up abandoned or at a shelter. These abandoned pets then mate with other companion animals and result in more population.

Some caretakers are just not committed enough to own a pet. They never pay careful attention to detail before owning a pet and end up relinquishing their pets. It is important to research everything about pet ownership before making such a decision.

All family members should be comfortable with the idea. Ensure that there are no allergies and that the house is suitable for keeping a pet, feeding it, providing space to play, and stimulating healthy nourishment and growth.

Owning a pet should be a lifelong commitment and not a matter of status elevation or experimentation. Pets are not disposable commodities, they are family members that need a lifelong permanent home.

Pet Overpopulation and Overflowing Shelter Problem

Shelter overcrowding and the homeless animals on the streets are quite concerning. Like many empathic people out there, I also wish I could bring every animal home with me. However, have you ever considered the reason for their overcrowding?

It is frequently assumed that all breeders are to blame, but this isn't true. A responsible breeder interviews prospective buyers to ensure they are a good fit for the animal. If things don't work out, they require new owners to return the animal to the breeder, preventing it from going to a shelter.

Irresponsible breeders are mainly the reason behind the overflowing of animal shelters. They breed dogs repeatedly without regard to their health, do not care about the home the animal ends up in, and do not ensure the animal's return if the new home does not work out.

Pet parents also play a role in shelters overflowing with animals. Many people don't realize how much time and effort is needed before getting a pet. When they can't keep up with the pet's needs, the animal ends up at the shelter.

A Solution to Animal Homelessness

Let's learn about various ways through which we can help homeless animals and play our part!

Adopt From the Shelter System

Animal homelessness can largely be avoided by adopting directly from a shelter instead of buying from breeders or puppy mills. Adopt, don't shop!

Animal shelters face a lot of stress as they have millions of pets added each year that are relinquished by the owners either because they are too sick, too dangerous, or no longer serve the needs of pet parents.

Pet owners should encourage other potential pet parents to adopt from animal shelters to reduce pet overpopulation problem. This would also lift some burden off the taxpaying communities, and more animals will be saved.

Avoid Buying From Breeders

Breeders and pet stores usually take animals as a way to earn money. They repeat interbreeding in an effort to maintain demand for purebred animals, and it results in adverse effects. These include hearing problems, epilepsy, and hip dysplasia.

Careful Breeding

Careful breeding involves interviews of willing families by the breeder. Responsible breeders look into what owners can provide for the pet and whether the house can be a permanent home for the dog or not. They also commit to taking the animal back if it does not suit the family.

Even with careful breeding, the problem of homelessness can only be solved by adoption of homeless animals directly from the shed and getting all pets spayed or neutered.

Discourage Puppy Mills

Puppy mills mate dogs in strict environments to produce dogs in mass numbers. They do not pay attention to their needs and treat them as objects to make money.

Such dogs are prone to diseases and have poor behavior. They are often returned to shelters causing an increase in animal overpopulation.

Some states take strict actions against such breeders, but other states need to join in too. If banned by law, overpopulation and ill-treatment of dogs and cats can be reduced.

What You Can Do to Combat Pet Overpopulation

The solution to this serious problem is simple: limit the number of animals coming into this world. Here are a few simple methods you can undertake to fight pet overpopulation:

Be a Responsible Pet Owner

A responsible pet owner makes sure that the pets are spayed. They are taken care of and provided for. When you buy an animal, you must be devoted to owning it for a lifetime.

A pet requires emotional, medical, and financial care. It will go through phases of sickness and health, and it depends on you for all the care. Having an old or sick dog does not mean you have to get rid of it. Own it and get veterinary care when needed.

Spay and Neuter Your Pet

Spaying and neutering your pet can reduce companion animal overpopulation by 100%. Even a single pet can produce many litters that can grow exponentially and result in homeless, unwanted pets that get disposed of because of negligence of pet owners.

Spaying or neutering also saves pets from potential health risks. By getting them neutered, the risk of diseases like testicular and prostate cancer is reduced in males.

Similarly, a spayed female is saved from the risk of uterine, ovarian, and mammary cancer. It also reduces behavioral problems such as howling, biting, and mounting.

Furthermore, spayed and neutered pets can prove to be less expensive in the long run. Veterinary care, vaccines, and risks for emergency C-sections add to the expenses, and laws in most states don't give that choice.

Don't Intentionally Breed Your Pet

Intentionally breeding the pet means that you are mating the dogs or cats in hopes of getting desired characteristics. This results in adverse outcomes like genetic diseases, skin problems, heart diseases, and a suppressed immune system.

These purebred dogs and cats may get sick and not develop as expected, resulting in holders putting them in shelters. Hence, it should be avoided at all costs.

Educate Others

It is one of the easiest things you can do! Educate everyone around you about the population crisis and the importance of neutering and adopting from shelters.

Spread the word! First, keep yourself informed and then inform others.

Final Thoughts

Overpopulation of animals results in millions of pets being killed each year. The sad part is that it does not have to be this way. Animal overflow can be eliminated by 100% if all caretakers spay or neuter their pets.

Campaigns should be run to create awareness among people so that adoption is always the preference.

Innocent animals should not suffer the painful consequences of spending their whole lives in cages or being put to sleep when they are perfectly capable of living their life normally!

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Animal Overpopulation- Causes, Effects and Solutions

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WorldAnimalFoundation.org is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn More Overpopulation of animals is a phenomenon when the number of any given species increases to an alarming extent and the ecosystem fails to support the survival of its inhabitants.

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'My heart is breaking': SC animal shelters declare state of emergency due to overcrowding Published September 2, 2022

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SC Animal Shelters Declare a State of Emergency due to Overcrowding.

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SC Animal Shelters Declare a State of Emergency due to Overcrowding.

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Throughout the state of South Carolina shelters are quickly meeting their max capacity intake. In September of 2022, animal shelters in SC were seeing an all time high in their intake numbers. Without shelters having enough space it makes it hard for them to continuously take in animals. They are bringing more animals in than they can possibly get out (adopted).

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CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Throughout the state, animal shelters are seeing an all-time high in animal intake numbers, causing shelters to declare a state of emergency for the second time in history.

The summer is always the busiest time for shelters, but this summer specifically, a combination of different factors has created an influx of dogs overcrowding shelters.

Some reasons for the influx could be the increasing population, home rental problems, kids going back to school, moving problems and flooding.

Joe Elmore, Charleston Animal Society President and CEO, brought Bo, a shelter dog since the beginning of August, to an interview to show how this emergency can really affect the animals.

"The state of emergency means that dogs such as Bo, don't have a place in shelters because we're all so overcrowded right now and they need homes," Elmore said. "Well, what is the risk? The risk is that animals like Bo may not make it out alive at shelters across our entire state. We need people that come in and make room for one more in their homes and in their hearts for animals."

Being the largest animal shelter in the state, the Charleston Animal Society has over 700 animals in the system at the moment with 60 dogs available for adoption right now.

"My heart is breaking for these animals," Kay Hyman, director of community engagement, said. "They're sitting in a cage. They want to be at your house, on your couch, in your backyard. They don't want to be sitting in a kennel."

Shelters like the Charleston Animal Society and Berkeley County Animal Center said more dogs are coming in than being adopted, which is where the problem stems from.

If unable to adopt, both shelters ask people to consider fostering. Tiffany Hoffman, Berkeley County Animal Center Event Coordinator, and her family are on their 28 foster dog.

"Fostering is so rewarding," Hoffman said. "It's like anything, you try it once and you are hooked."

Using social media to promote is also very helpful in getting the word out about animals in shelters. The Charleston Animal Society is waiving all adoption fees and providing potential owners with $250 worth of food and supplies.

"We need to get 100 adoptions out this weekend," Elmore said. "Cats and kittens also, but the ones that are most risk are the dogs because they don't do well when they stay in shelters for a long time."

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'My heart is breaking': SC animal shelters declare state of emergency due to overcrowding

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CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Throughout the state, animal shelters are seeing an all-time high in animal intake numbers, causing shelters to declare a state of emergency for the second time in history. The summer is always the busiest time for shelters, but this summer specifically, a combination of different factors has created an influx of dogs overcrowding shelters.

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South Carolina has been historically plagued with high euthanasia rates. Animal shelters often resort to euthanasia at astronomical rates due to a lack of space, materials, and funding. With the introduction of innovative adoption strategies and other practices, this organization, The Charleston Animal Society has managed to cut down the euthanasia rates in half. This foundation claims that its efforts in the past six years have made an immense impact and change in the fight against animal cruelty.

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Charleston Animal Society is an organizational charity founded in South Carolina. The mission of this charity is the prevention of cruelty toward animals and establishing a state where all healthy and treatable animals are saved. On March 14th, 2021, Charleston Animal Society held its 147th annual meeting. Where they shared their goal of making South Carolina a no-kill state by 2024

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North Charleston - At its 147 th annual meeting on Sunday, March 14 th, Charleston Animal Society announced the Palmetto State can be a No Kill State by 2024. The initiative is funded through a grant from the Petco Foundation. Its statewide initiative "No Kill South Carolina" now has a timeline and becomes "No Kill South Carolina 2024" to culminate with Charleston Animal Society's 150 th anniversary.
Since No Kill South Carolina began six years ago, animal shelters across the state have saved more than 500,000 animal lives with 30,000 fewer animals euthanized, something unheard of in the South, a region historically plagued with high euthanasia rates.
"Our efforts with No Kill South Carolina over the past six years have made tremendous gains in the fight to save animals in every corner of the state," said Charleston Animal Society President and CEO Joe Elmore. "The trending shows that we can make this groundbreaking initiative a reality by 2024."

"No Kill" is a term used in the animal welfare that refers to the goal of saving "all healthy and treatable dogs and cats, typically about 90%." No Kill communities do not euthanize animals for space and use data-driven and research-based strategies to bring euthanasia rates down and improve the quality of care for animals. The concept of No Kill was introduced as early as the 1970s but gained major attention on the West Coast entering the 1990s with an article entitled In the Name of Mercy penned by Ed Duvin and was later effectively put in action by Richard Avanzino in San Francisco."

"No Kill was introduced in the collective sense, as in building a No Kill nation; however, some animal shelters co-opted the term and proclaimed themselves No Kill shelters for fundraising advantages, making the concept shelter-centric instead of community-centric, which has led to much division in the animal welfare community. Unnecessary euthanasia, like homelessness, illiteracy, hunger and other social issues are community, are community issues requiring everyone to work together to overcome," Elmore said.
THE DATA
When No Kill South Carolina was started, 19% of dogs and 47% of cats were euthanized in shelters across the state. Six years later, through effective collaborations, innovative adoption strategies and other leading practices among shelters around the state, the euthanasia rate of dogs has dropped more than half to 8% and the euthanasia rate for cats is down to 18%.

"The progress is amazing, but we still have substantial work to do, especially in saving more felines from euthanasia," said No Kill South Carolina Program Director Abigail Appleton, PMP, CAWA. "None of this would be possible without the amazing input and efforts from shelters across South Carolina."
THE PETCO FOUNDATION CHALLENGE
The Petco Foundation has been funding the efforts of No Kill South Carolina since the beginning. Now, with the goal in sight, the foundation is making a $1-million Challenge. "If the organizations in South Carolina work together and achieve the goal of No Kill South Carolina by 2024 - the Petco Foundation will invest $1 million in the lifesaving work of organizations across South Carolina," said Petco Foundation President Susanne Kogut. "These funds can be used to sustain No Kill South Carolina!"
HOW YOU CAN GET INVOLVED
The No Kill South Carolina 2024 challenge is a great way for everyone to get involved in this statewide effort. "Go to your local shelter and let them know you'd like to help. You can adopt, volunteer or donate and help us all reach this tremendous achievement," Appleton said.
INTERVIEWS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST

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CHARLESTON ANIMAL SOCIETY ANNOUNCES PLANS TO MAKE SOUTH CAROLINA A NO KILL STATE BY 2024

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North Charleston - At its 147 th annual meeting on Sunday, March 14 th, Charleston Animal Society announced the Palmetto State can be a No Kill State by 2024. The initiative is funded through a grant from the Petco Foundation.