Our Shelters Are in Crisis: We Need New Ideas and Innovative Solutions

Our shelters are in crisis.

More dogs have died in 2024 than died in 2023, and many more have spent too long in under-resourced shelters.

And, critically, too many dogs have been turned away by intake policies and overwhelmed shelters.

Prior to the pandemic, we were making strides every year, inching closer to a sustainable shelter system that saved every adoptable animal. But that rosy picture is long gone.

The problems are many – too many dogs, too full shelters, owners who have no options, housing challenges, BSLs, economic struggles, expense of pet ownership, and lack of access to spay/neuter are just a few of the challenges.

I’m tired of talking about the problems. I’ve been writing about them on this blog for five years.

It’s time to talk about solutions.

It’s time to take all the energy we’re expending, lamenting and pointing fingers, obsessing about numbers and manipulating percentages, and desperately trying to figure out why we’re in this situation, and instead funnel it toward moving forward.

So much of what got us here is out of our control. But what is in our control is what we do about it. We need to build on the progress that has been made and focus on new ideas, new solutions, a new way forward.

Everyone can do something.

The first time I visited a struggling shelter in 2018, I wondered what I could possibly do to help. I was already fostering and volunteering and donating when I could. Seeing the situation firsthand and listening to an overwhelmed shelter director describe her frustration as tears welled in her eyes, made me want to do more. The only gift I could bring to the situation was my writing skill. So I began writing about it.

Fast forward six years, hundreds of blog posts, countless articles, 250 more fosters, and 150 shelter visits and I’ve learned a lot.

No, I don’t have THE answer, but I have a lot of ideas. I’ve put those together in the book, Who Will Let the Dogs Out: Stories and Solutions for Shelters and Rescues.

The book is solution-focused and shares hundreds of ideas for initiatives, programs, and practices to strengthen (or establish) the three pillars, I believe are critical for a successful shelter: leadership, veterinary access, and community engagement.

A primer for anyone wanting to know what is going on in our shelters, particularly our southern shelters, it’s filled with stories of what successful shelters are doing and offers new ideas, programs, and possibilities that could move us forward.

Who Will Let the Dogs Out wants to put a copy of this book in the hands of anyone who cares about solving our shelter crisis, but most especially the people working on the front lines. The people who are sacrificing so much and too often don’t have the resources or support they need.

You can help us do that. Click here to learn how.

This video will give you some idea of what we’re planning, but visiting our Indiegogo page will tell you more and allow you to be a part of it.

Until each one has a home,

Cara

Join our campaign to put a copy of Who Will Let the Dogs Out: Stories and Solutions for Shelters and Rescues into the hands of shelters and rescues. Click here to learn more.

If you want to learn more, be sure to subscribe to our email list to get the latest stories and solutions delivered to your inbox. And help us spread the word by sharing this post with others. Visit our website to learn more.

You can also help raise awareness by following/commenting/sharing our content on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Tik Tok.

To see our Emmy-nominated, award-winning short documentary, Amber’s Halfway Home, click here.

For more information on any of our projects, to talk about rescue in your neck of the woods, or partner with us, please email cara@WWLDO.org.

And for links to everything WWLDO, including volunteer application, wishlists, and donation options, check out our Linktree.