by Jamie Proia, Kennel Technician
It’s been nearly two years since we at the Lassen County Animal Shelter made our last public announcement detailing the heavy burden placed on staff to make decisions regarding euthanizing for space. Unfortunately, we must once again reach out in an effort to educate and inform Lassen County residents about this practice and why it is sadly very much still in effect.
Owner surrenders are still skyrocketing. We receive many calls every day from members of the public who wish to surrender dogs, cats, or even litters of puppies and kittens to the shelter. In 2023, the Lassen County Animal Shelter took in 245 owner surrenders. As of the end of August 2024, there have already been 208 owner surrenders and we are on track to surpass the previous year’s numbers without difficulty.
A waiting list to surrender pets to the shelter has been in use, which consists of a person providing information about their animals and leaving their number so that staff can call in their pets at a later date when space is available. This is done to give animals already in the shelter a chance at adoption or transfer to a rescue partner, rather than simply euthanizing them to make immediate space available.
Additionally, dumping these poor family pets at our doorstep in boxes/crates or tying them to poles at night so that by the time staff returns to work the next morning they are panicked and tangled is heartbreaking to witness. This type of dumping after hours puts a major strain on the shelter and its staff, further forcing our hands to euthanize for space in order to fit the new arrivals into the shelter, while also pushing people patiently waiting on the list further back. We can understand someone’s frustration about not being able to surrender a pet right away, but that inconvenience is keeping one of the animals already housed in our shelter alive that much longer. Please understand that we are doing all we can to save as many animals as possible.
Furthermore, once you’ve been called back and surrender your pet to the shelter, be aware that if we cannot find a new home or a rescue to pull your pet from our facility in a reasonable amount of time, it may be euthanized in order to make room for the next animal in need; we can no longer house animals indefinitely while they wait for the perfect family to adopt them. This is not a localized issue but a worldwide one. It’s something we share in common with our many rescue and shelter partners who are also all full and are no longer able to pull from our facility with the regularity of previous years.
Should you find yourself in a position that requires you to rehome a family pet, please attempt to find a new suitable home for your furry family member on your own first. There are currently over 100 people waiting to surrender dogs and 40 waiting to surrender cats to the shelter.
Here are a few options staff recommends you use before surrendering your animal to the shelter:
Advertise your pet on Swap Shop, a wonderful local radio program that runs Monday – Saturday, 8:00 to 9:00a.m. at 1.530.257.8255.
Utilize social media to get your pet’s photos and bio out for many people to see. There are quite a few local FB groups that would be perfect to advertise your pet on.
The Lassen Humane Society offers rehoming assistance. Simply email a picture/bio of your pet, along with your contact information to [email protected]. They will do a courtesy posting of your pet on Petfinder.com.
Despite the dire situation we’ve found ourselves in, the Lassen County Animal Shelter closed out the 2023 year with an 85 percent save rate. ‘Save rate’ is the percentage of animals that leave the shelter through adoption, return to owner, or transfers to rescue partners. We hope 2024 yields similar or even better numbers as we push through difficult times.
Staff is available to answer questions/concerns during normal business hours. Monday through Friday from 9:00a.m. until 3:00p.m. at 1.530.257.9200. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
