SHELTERS ALARMINGLY FULL AS MORE THAN 250,000 CATS AND DOGS AWAIT HOMES

Animal shelters and rescues across the nation continue to see more animals entering than leaving, amassing a backlog of adoptable animals and creating a crisis of existential proportions. To tackle the problem, the Berkeley-East Bay Humane Society (Berkeley Humane) has joined animal welfare advocates, shelters, and rescues in launching Share the Care, a campaign highlighting the powerful impact people can have on shelter pets in their community through even the smallest acts of kindness.

Berkeley Humane Joins Animal Welfare Organizations Across Nation to Ask Public for Help

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 27, 2022

Contact: Elizabeth Ottinger
Director of Development & Communications
eottinger@berkeleyhumane.org 

Animal shelters and rescues across the nation continue to see more animals entering than leaving, amassing a backlog of adoptable animals and creating a crisis of existential proportions. To tackle the problem, the Berkeley-East Bay Humane Society (Berkeley Humane) has joined animal welfare advocates, shelters, and rescues in launching Share the Care, a campaign highlighting the powerful impact people can have on shelter pets in their community through even the smallest acts of kindness. People are urged to learn how and where help is needed at Berkeley Humane by visiting berkeleyhumane.org/sharethecare

“Berkeley Humane is joining forces with over 100 shelters to help illustrate the critical role the community plays in creating positive outcomes for cats and dogs,” stated Jeffrey Zerwekh, Berkeley Humane’s Executive Director.  “The Share the Care campaign is hoping to educate the public that by adopting, fostering, volunteering, donating, or even sharing adoptable animal profiles on social media can help give incredible animals a second chance at a wonderful life.”

Beethoven and Mozart are two very special German Sheppard puppies at Berkeley Humane currently looking for new loving homes. At only 10 weeks old, scared and defenseless, they were abandoned in a public park in Oakland. This story would already pull at most people’s heartstrings but there is more. Both puppies were also born blind. Luckily they were transported to Berkeley Humane for urgent medical care which also included the removal of their badly infected eyes so that they could start to have a healthy outcome. Now that they are ready for adoption help is needed to find new loving homes.

Unfortunately, Beethoven and Mozart’s story isn’t alone. Animal shelters across the country are packed with dogs and cats and caring for them requires support from the community. It’s a drastically different situation than in 2020, when shelters and rescues saw overwhelming demand for adoptable pets. For the past 18 months, the number of pets leaving shelters has steadily dropped, bringing shelters to or near full capacity.

There are many ways the community can help homeless pets through Share the Care:

  • Adopting a pet is the most immediate and impactful way to help.
  • Fostering, in which volunteers temporarily care for animals in their home, increases a shelter’s capacity to house more animals.
  • Promoting adoptable animals through social media spreads the word.
  • Volunteering and donating also support lifesaving efforts.

SHELTERS ALARMINGLY FULL AS MORE THAN 250,000 DOGS AND CATS AWAIT HOMES

Preventing pets from entering shelters is another way to alleviate overcrowding. Tips on how to ensure lost pets make their way home and resources for rehoming animals can be found at joinsharethecare.org.

“Without significant and immediate support from the public,” says Stephanie Filer, executive director for Shelter Animals Count, “data analysis of the past few years predicts adoptions will continue to decrease.” For more information on specific actions you can take to help save animals’ lives and to pledge your support, please visit joinsharethecare.org.

ABOUT BERKELEY HUMANE

With its origins dating back to 1895, Berkeley humane is one of the oldest and most trusted animal welfare organizations in California. Today Berkeley Humane serves the people and animals of our community by providing life-saving programs for cats and dogs, cultivating compassion, and strengthening the human-animal bond. With the support of a dedicated and talented volunteer and staff team, Berkeley Humane intakes animals from municipal shelters around the Bay Area who are often in need of medical care, improved nutrition, enrichment and lots of love. Learn more at berkeleyhumane.org.

ABOUT SHARE THE CARE

Share the Care is a campaign developed by more than 100 animal welfare organizations joining together to create national awareness of the need for people to join the lifesaving efforts of animal shelters in their community. Share the Care is about lifesaving together – government, community, and nonprofit working collaboratively to support homeless pets. Join the campaign.

Days
Hours
Minutes
Seconds
Skip to content