Central Ohio animal shelters battling overcrowding

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Animal rescues are dealing with an influx of dogs and cats around Columbus.

For the past few years, rescues have seen more animals dropped off. Some are also having a challenging time getting adopted.

Officials say there are many factors, from the cost of spaying and neutering being too high, to families returning pets they got during the pandemic. But the influx is not the only problem, the dogs stay in shelters longer. 

When an animal has surpassed the amount of time given for foster care or adoption at a government shelter, they must be euthanized. But non-profits like Columbus Humane or Central Ohio's Programs for Animal Welfare (CO-PAW) take in those animals before that can happen.

CEO of CO-PAW Breona Baines knows the importance of the work they do to help future pets in our community. 

"We can make the rules that we want a lot of you know, government shelters, they have to implement, you know, benchmarks for space, time, medical conditions, because if, no if they didn't have some negative outcomes for these animals, we'd have ten times more out on the streets," Baines said.

Brittany Williams of Columbus Humane said the length of stay on adoption at the organization is now around three weeks. In 2019, it was just one week. 

"It's important to support organizations who are able to keep those dogs for a long period of time, who are able to provide the resources to really help those animals from enrichment perspective and be able to provide the things the animals need to live a happy, healthy life in a shelter for a long period of time,” Williams said.  

They also said it is important to adopt animals instead of going to a breeder to help with the overpopulation of animals in the community. 

“There are so many good pets that are looking for homes currently at animal rescues and your shelters all over Columbus,” Williams said. “Animals here at Columbus Humane right now of all ages and all different breeds, we don't just have specific animals or specific breeds. We have all different species that you can adopt.”  

If you would like to adopt or foster an animal, check out Columbus Humane or CO-PAW.