In response to exceeding dog kennel capacity, the Humane Society for Tacoma & Pierce County is waiving adoption fees for all dogs Nov. 14-17. The shelter is currently caring for nearly 130 dogs on-site, plus nearly 70 in foster homes.
“We are in crisis mode,” said Leslie Dalzell, Chief Executive Officer at the Humane Society for Tacoma & Pierce County. “We have doubled and tripled kennel capacity, with dogs in offices and temporary crates in hallways.”
Dog intake has increased this year, with 400 more dogs entering the shelter than by this time in 2023.
Community members can help ease the strain by adopting a dog during the shelter’s fee-waived promotion. Every adoptable dog has undergone a wellness exam from shelter staff, received initial vaccinations, is microchipped with national registration, and will be spayed or neutered before adoption.
For dogs not yet spayed or neutered, the shelter offers a foster-to-adopt option, allowing families to take a dog home the same day and return for surgery, at no additional cost, within a designated period. To view all adoptable dogs, visit the shelter’s website: thehumanesociety.org/adoptable-petcategory/dogs.
“We need our community’s help to create and sustain sheltering space for pets in need,” Dalzell added. “By adopting, fostering, or diverting healthy lost and found dogs from the shelter, we can extend our services and resources to animals in dire need who depend on us as a lifeline.”
To prevent additional animals from entering the shelter, the community is encouraged to take the following steps when they find a healthy, lost dog:
- Provide a temporary home, if possible.
- Walk the dog around the neighborhood—most dogs don’t wander far from home!
- Check the dog for a microchip at a local veterinary clinic, pet store, or animal shelter.
- Post online and around the community to help locate the owner.
- Contact the shelter to include the dog in the found pets records and on the shelter’s website.
For more information on supporting lost pet reunification, visit: thehumanesociety.org/lost-and-foundpets.
Can’t Adopt? Foster!
Those unable to adopt can help by fostering. Fostering provides a temporary, safe space for dogs and helps reduce overcrowding in the shelter. Foster volunteers are provided with food, supplies, and ongoing veterinary care from the shelter. Even a few days of fostering can make a significant difference for both the shelter and the dog.
To learn more about fostering, visit: thehumanesociety.org/get-involved/foster.
Additional Ways to Support
The community can also support the shelter’s life-changing medical efforts and ongoing care for pets in need by making a donation: thehumanesociety.org/donate.
Please don’t encourage people to adopt if they can’t afford to take care of the pet. This is one reason so many dogs are at the HS. Free adoptions, how nice. Now figure out how anyone will care for that animal properly for the rest of its life or it will be back at the HS. THINK!!