As a desert town, Moab gets little precipitation. But for some, it’s raining cats and dogs.
Town’s two main animal shelters have been packed for at least the last year, reflecting a nationwide post-pandemic trend. The reason, the facilities’ managers say, is a slowdown in adoptions coupled with a spike in pet relinquishments following the pandemic adoption boom.
“It didn’t really start getting bad until a year and a half ago,” said Janette Woodruff, manager of the Moab Animal Shelter.
The small city-run facility has capacity for something like 10 dogs and 15 to 20 cats — possibly more if animals are doubled up in cages. And it’s been almost continually at or near capacity since late 2022, Woodruff said.
Underdog Rescue in Spanish Valley has seen a similar backlog.
“Our numbers dropped from around 1,000 dogs a year coming in to about 600 dogs coming in,” said Katy Gullette, the president of Underdog’s board of directors and its founder. “That’s a direct reflection on the number of dogs we can move out.”
‘I’m just at capacity almost all the time’
It’s not just Moab or southeastern Utah seeing fewer adoptions and fuller shelters. The trend is national, Gullette said.
“We’re very similar to nationwide statistics,” Gullette said. “…A lot of dogs are being turned in nationwide. It’s the first time in decades that euthanasia numbers have gone up.”
According to the nonprofit Shelter Animals Count, nearly 700,000 dogs and cats across the country were euthanized last year. That’s a 15% increase compared to 2022.
The Atlanta-based nonprofit also reported that last year there were 177,000 more dogs and cats in America’s animal shelters compared to the same time in 2022.
Both Woodruff and Gullette said their facilities are feeling the squeeze.
Woodruff, who takes in cats, dogs and other animals from anywhere within Grand County, said it’s harder to get animals adopted out.
She used to get dogs adopted within two to four months, and cats within four to six months.
“Now it’s taking longer,” Woodruff said — six months or more for dogs.
During Woodruff’s 13 years at the shelter before the coronavirus pandemic, she said, the facility would typically fill up about twice a year. Then, adoptions would increase and the numbers would come down again.
“Now I’m just at capacity almost all the time,” she said.
Woodruff said she also gets three to four calls a week from people seeking to relinquish animals. Many calls come from San Juan County as far away as Montezuma Creek. She even fields calls from Grand Junction, Colorado, when that city’s shelters fill up.
Often, a full shelter will recommend those giving up pets try other shelters in the same town or region. But every shelter in the Moab region is feeling the same pressure, Gullette and Woodruff said.
“Our partners who we’ve worked with for years in transferring dogs, their adoptions have slowed so they’re not taking as many of our dogs in,” Gullette said. “So that kind of doubles the problem.”
She estimated that Underdog, which takes in dogs from Indigenous reservations in the region, is transferring only one-quarter as many dogs now as they were before 2021.
“Everybody is packed,” Gullette said. “…We’re all dealing with the same situation.”
The Humane Society of Utah first reported in summer 2022 that shelters statewide were approaching capacity. The trend continued through 2023, the same year the organization noted an “unprecedented” 78% spike in abandoned animals.
Notably, the organization said housing issues were the leading cause of animal surrenders in 2023.
Woodruff said that’s a common problem in Moab, too. She regularly talks to owners asking to relinquish animals because their new housing doesn’t permit pets. She also takes in pets whose owners have passed away or are too frail to provide care.
She said if someone can no longer care for an animal, they should reach out to her or another shelter. “But realize that we are all full,” Woodruff added.
‘Kennel-crazy’ dogs — and silver linings
Indeed, many animals in the Moab area are facing multi-month waits before adoption. It can take a month to even enter the facility itself; Underdog, for example, currently has a 160-dog waitlist. Some have been waiting since May.
The backlog hurts the animals and caretakers alike, Gullette said.
“It’s very disheartening to not be able to take dogs in who are in need,” she said.
And dogs who spend a long time in shelters start to develop behavior problems, Gullette said.
“It’s typically called, in the shelter world, ‘kennel-crazy,’” Gullette said. “The longer you have a dog, the more behavior issues they can potentially develop, which means they’re harder to adopt.”
Underdog has a behavior specialist who works with each dog twice a day, Gullette said, but it doesn’t make up for lacking a long-term home.
Still, Gullette said the backlog is bound to reverse eventually. In the meantime, she said the trend has a silver lining by forcing shelters to innovate.
“This has given us the opportunity to really build out our foster program,” Gullette said. “Probably 70% of our adoptions come out of foster homes.”
Amid recent challenges, Woodruff said she has also seen one success: transferring cats to the Grand Junction Petco store.
The Humane Society of Moab Valley does the actual transfers, as they have the appropriate license to transport animals across the state line. There, the cats are often adopted within weeks.
“We’ve had cats adopted the same day they got over there,” Woodruff said.
After working with shelters for several decades, Gullette said these kinds of challenging times can help people recognize the work shelters do, while encouraging the facilities themselves to hone their strategies.
“I think it’s kind of a good thing to rethink programs and philosophies from time to time,” she said. “And this is an opportunity for that.”
This story was first published by The Times-Independent.