No one knows for certain why, but adoptions of dogs from animal shelters across the country have declined in the past year. Cole Wakefield, executive director of the Good Shepherd Humane Society, said that trend is also being experienced here in Carroll County.
“It limits our ability to bring in new dogs because the ones here are staying a little longer,” Wakefield said. “That slowdown in adoptions has put a strain on adoptions centers across the country including those who normally ship dogs out to other areas of the country. We still don’t have a good answer about why dog adoptions are down.”
There is speculation that a lot of people adopted animals during the pandemic, so the demand was front loaded. There is also concern that with high inflation and economic uncertainty, some people may not be able to afford owning a dog. Or, it could be that more people buying fancy breeds.
“It is probably a combination of a lot of things,” Wakefield said. “We do feel a lot of it has to do with economic uncertainty. We have lots of cats right now because we have come out of kitten season. Luckily, cat adoptions are going strong. It may be cats are less expensive to feed.”
Good Shepherd has volunteers who will take dogs home with them for a few days and take them out when on outings downtown with a harness that says, “Adopt me!” Wakefield said they have made some good matches that way.
“We welcome people interested in even taking a dog out for a little while, helping get them out of the shelter which is good for the dog’s emotional health,” Wakefield said. “We learn more about dogs when people come back with a report. We end up having some people racing back to the shelter to be sure first in line to get the dog. Just getting dogs around people helps. The dogs present better and are more appealing to people considering adoptions.”
Good Shepherd also continues to take care of people with food insecurity who have pets by making donations to local food banks.
“If there is food insecurity for people, there is also food insecurity for the pets,” Wakefield said. “We have done different projects where we support low or no cost neuter. When we encounter people in the streets with dogs, we try to offer whatever assistance we can. The reality is when people need help, they need help. It makes more sense to help them than wait until they have to bring their animal into the shelter. A good day for us is when no one has to surrender an animal because we have been able to provide them the resources needed to get them through that tough time.”
The welfare of people and animals is closely connected. Wakefield said groups like Good Shepherd have figured out that to be truly effective, they need to operate more as a social services agency rather than an enforcement agency.
“We are trying to address these problems before they ever come down our driveway,” Wakefield said. “We really want to be out there and help our community. You have to help both people and animals if you want to address the problem. The idea that a pet is simply a luxury is not true. Every day we get more data on health benefits from pet ownership. It truly brings both physical and mental health benefits to those households. It is important we enable people to take care of these animals. No one should have to give up a family member because of a temporary hardship. We do all we can to keep that from happening.”
Family is how people view their pets more and more. They are no longer simply utilitarian but provide very strong emotional bonds and support. Wakefield said that is the predominant view today of dogs, cats and other pets in the home.
Good Shepherd does field complaints when people see animals being exposed to either extreme heat or cold. But there is not much the private non-profit can do except recommend calling the Eureka Springs Police Department or the Carroll County Sheriff’s office. The State of Arkansas requires adequate shelter and access to food and water for animals.
“People can call law enforcement for a welfare check,” Wakefield said. “If animals are in the sun, don’t have a way to get into the shade and don’t have access to food and water, then that would be enough cause for a violation.”
Some hotter weather is ahead. On those really hot days, he recommends walking dogs in the morning or evening when it is cooler. Dogs, especially larger dogs, are susceptible to heat injury. It doesn’t take long for a dog to get overheated. If it is 100°, it is better to stay home than go out to get exercise. If you do go out, make sure your dog has access to plenty of water and limit the exercise time. And don’t think because your dog has short hair that he or she is not vulnerable.
“Short-hair breed dogs can overheat as quickly as long-hair breeds,” Wakefield said. “An additional concern is flat-faced dogs have a harder time cooling themselves because dogs cool with panting. Generally, any dog is going to be susceptible to heat-related injury if they are out when it is too hot. By the time you notice, it can be too late. It can be dogs used to a lot of exercise, but when they overheat, it can be fatal. When we’re seeing record temperatures like we are expecting, the best thing to do is just not take them out. They have limited capacity to cool themselves. They don’t sweat. When we are at 100°, they can get overheated really quickly.”
Some people provide baby wading pools to help their dogs cool off and have fun, but Wakefield said they don’t recommend unattended access to a full-size pool.
Cats are also susceptible to overheating.
“We definitely recommend they have shady spots that have access to water,” Wakefield said. “We don’t see heat injuries as much in cats because they don’t usually go out and get walked like dogs. As long as cats have access to a cool spot and plenty of water, that will help them out a lot.”