On a rainy afternoon, Animal Charity of Ohio volunteer Sam Smith happily followed the tug of a leash, as an excited and curious dog, Zora, took her on a tour of a grassy area.
Zora, fairly new to the rescue shelter, south of Youngstown, scoped the place out.
“She was from an abandoned house case,” Smith said. “There were a couple dogs that were along with her… and they all came in emaciated, starved. But they are very gentle.”
Cases like Zora’s have become more common in Mahoning County over the past year, said executive director Jenny Falvey.
The humane organization is on track this year to bring a record number of animals into the shelter: an increase of 28% compared with last year.
More and more often, those animals are arriving because their owners can no longer afford to care for them, Falvey said.
“People are losing their homes. They can't afford it. They're having their utility shut off,” she said. “They can't have a pet, it's just impossible.”
Around 40% of Ohio households are struggling to make ends meet, according to a recent analysis by the Brookings Institution. For some facing financial stress, pet ownership has felt more out of reach.
That lack of affordability has had a trickle-down effect on animal shelters across the state.
Increased costs all around
Many times, the animals that Animal Charity of Ohio take in are cases of neglect. They often require medical care — an expense that’s skyrocketed in recent years. When you multiply those rising costs by hundreds of animals at a shelter, Falvey said budgeting becomes difficult.
“Over the last two months, there were multiple surgeries, tons of skin issues — all of these things required veterinary products, veterinary staff, all that,” she said. “Our funds were just getting depleted.”
At the same time, Falvey said donations are drying up. That combination has put the organization in a bind, and they decided last month to suspend intake entirely. They are no longer providing county animal control services or taking on humane investigations.
It’s a choice many Ohio shelters are facing.
“They're full too,” Falvey said. “We've got to do better.”
‘Too many dogs, not enough homes’
Gregory Willey, president of the Ohio Animal Welfare Federation said the state is “backsliding.”
“Whether it be cutting services and programs or whether it be increases in euthanasia numbers, I think everybody's dealing with that stress and that anxiety and trying to work through it,” he said.
Dogs, in particular, are staying longer at shelters. In the Midwest, stays for dogs at animal rescues this year was more than two weeks longer than in 2019, according to data from Shelter Animals Count.
“The longer animals stay in shelters, the more care you have to provide,” he said. “And nothing is getting cheaper.”
The economy isn’t the only factor attributing to longer stays. Willey said people are less interested in being tied to their homes post-pandemic. Also, commercially-bred breeds, like the doodle, have seen a surge in popularity.
“Besides that, there's the final fact, which is that everybody who could get a dog during the pandemic got one,” he said.
All that means fewer adoptions at a time when shelters are filling up.
Fulton County Humane Society in rural northwest Ohio is over their capacity. Executive Director Stephanie Moore said they receive calls every day from families and other rescues, looking to place dogs.
“It's basic,” Moore said. “We have way too many dogs and not enough homes.”
In response, shelters are looking for revenue streams, beyond community donations.
Animal Charity of Ohio plans to open a thrift store, with revenue going directly toward costs like veterinary care.
Plus, director Falvey said the humane organization is lobbying for local funding from Mahoning County commissioners. She said they provide a service to taxpayers.
“Whether you're an animal lover or not, it still affects you because if you live next door to the person that is hoarding cats, well, that's a problem because you probably don't want to have that next door to you. We're helping to control that and manage that,” she said.
With those programs on pause, she wonders how communities — and their animals — will cope.
