Animal shelters across metro Detroit are seeing more pet owners surrendering their furry friends.
The problem has been exacerbated since the pandemic and has further strained the pet adoption system as more animals are looking for a forever home.
5-year-old Snapchat is one of many dogs up for adoption at Friends for Animals in Dearborn.
"The big thing for us lately is getting adopters and the calls for owner surrenders that have been coming in, those have been an uptick we have seen lately," said Sarah Rood, Director of Marketing & Development, Friends for Animals.
The shelter's Sarah Rood says during the start of the pandemic, adoption was a rising trend as more people stayed home, but now it's become a problem as more folks are surrendering their pets.
"They are having trouble with their dogs now that they are back to work or not just us but other shelters in the area are really seeing that some of these dogs are severely under-socialized. Which makes sense during the pandemic they weren't able to go out too many places," said Rood.
Generally, pet adoption has always been tricky. And now with an increasing number of surrenders, shelters are not only flooded with animals but are also fighting an uphill battle to find forever homes.
"They are scared. They are in a new environment. They don’t know what's going on. A lot of the time, the only person or people they’ve ever known has left them. They wait for their owners to come back, they don’t eat right away," said Rood.
Whether it's 11-month-old Ultraman or 9-year-old Spirit, they all are just waiting for a loving home. Spirit is also the shelter's longest-term dog and Sarah says anyone can come and adopt him for free because his adoption fee is sponsored.
Meanwhile, cats are also suffering.
"In the feline section, most of these cats have either been rescued from the streets or surrendered by their owners. For instance, Queen has been here for over 150 days. While, Lil man, Sir Lucky, and Clyde are hoping they all get adopted by one person," said Rood.
"Our adoption fees range from about $20 to $95 for cats, kittens are a little more. Then dogs, all of our adult dogs, 6 months or older and over 50lbs are just 50 dollars," Rood said.
Sarah says in most cases the adoption process takes a day. People can also spend time with animals before deciding on their preferred furry friend.
"We will hook you up with fear-free trainers. We will provide low-cost options, and we will enroll you in our food pantry if that’s something you need. If your pet needs surgery, we will help find lower-cost surgeons," she added.
And in the worst-case scenario, Friends for Animals will also take back the adopted pet. For more info head over to metrodetroitanimals.org.
