More than 100 dogs are up for adoption through MSPCA-Angell, and organization officials say they are seeking potential adopters who can immediately provide the pooches with forever homes.
This is the beginning of an “ambitious” goal of placing 2,500 dogs into homes by the fall – a campaign spurred by what officials are describing as a crisis amid plummeting adoptions and overcrowded shelters.
“For the MSPCA’s adoption campaign to be successful, the 142 dogs already bunking down in the organization’s adoption centers in Boston, Methuen, Salem, and Centerville on Cape Cod need to be placed in homes as soon as possible,” officials said in a release Wednesday.
Mike Keiley, MSPCA’s director of adoption centers and programs, said the organization has taken in 10% more dogs so far this year compared to the first half of 2022 due to an increase in owner surrenders.
The dogs currently at MSPCA are a mix of local surrenders and those brought here through transports, said Sara-Rose Brenner, senior public relations manager for MSPCA. The reasons for surrenders vary, with some related to law enforcement cases and others due to changes in living circumstances, she told the Herald.
“We must find creative solutions to ensure these pets have a safe place to go,” Keiley said. “This crisis is even forcing many shelters that receive transported pets to pause those relocations because they are at or over capacity.”
As shelters become more and more crowded, euthanasia has been on the climb across the country. Nearly 130,000 dogs that had been at shelters were put down last year, a roughly 39% increase from the 93,697 in 2021, according to Shelter Animals Count, which tracks animal shelter data nationwide.
Officials say they suspect the trend is continuing, as nearly twice as many dogs did not leave shelters alive during the first three months of this year compared to the same period in 2021, SAC figures released last week show.
“Without action from the MSPCA and others, as many as 150,000 dogs—or more—could be at risk this year,” Keiley said.
MSPCA will be holding adoption events at all four adoption centers throughout the summer months, with the first taking place June 11 – 18. Adoption fees for all large breed adult dogs, one year and older, are waived.
