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Animal shelters in South Florida need the community’s help. Stray dogs and cats are often abandoned in the street and these shelters are dealing with the aftermath: overpopulation.
Miami-Dade Animal Services saw about 36,000 animals enter their facilities in 2023. The Medley and Doral locations can usually house around 350 dogs and 150 cats, but there are currently 850 animals needing care. The overflow is so critical that the county stopped the intake of new animals in July to care for the pets currently in their facilities.
“When there is overpopulation, we are unable to provide the same ratio of staff per animal,” explained Dr. Maria Serrano, chief veterinarian at animal services. “When we have animals confined in a small area, respiratory bugs are more common and affects how much care we can provide.”
Viviana Andrade, a clinic manager, is one of many employees working long hours to care for the animals. Andrade notes many people returned their adopted or fostered pets after the pandemic. From her experience, the issue of overcrowded shelters led to an increase of surrenders and a lack of resources.
“Not one single thing caused this monster,” said Andrade. “I feel like there is a lot of overbreeding going on that is hindering our shelter population as well. We have to educate our community to adopt, not shop.”
The overflowing in shelters poses a risk to the health of the animals as South Florida faces heat advisories in the summer months. The outdoor Medley shelter uses industrial-sized fans to keep the animals cool due to the lack of air conditioning. During a hurricane or severe flooding, all dogs are kept inside.
Animals also face a lot of stress locked inside of cages at the shelters. Andrade says adoptions and fostering help the animals psychologically to de-stress. Bringing animals outside shelters helps them get used to social interactions with people and receive increased amounts of physical activity. This improves their health.
“A happy, go-lucky pup is now scared to death not knowing these people and these dogs [at the shelter],” said Andrade. “When they’re stressed, their immunity goes down. We’re overpopulated and that affects our dogs in a big way.”
Adopting a pet can make a big difference by providing a loving home for an animal in need and freeing up space at shelters. Miami-Dade Animal Services posts different dogs and cats on Instagram for the community to find a furry friend. The county also waives adoption fees at events as an incentive for dogs four years and older.
“We do mini-mega adoption events for six-plus hours where we are able to adopt 20-plus dogs in one day, a lot of them being large dogs,” said Andrade.
Fostering is temporary, but an effective way for people who are unable to adopt to help animals. Animal services allows people to attend online orientation and get approved to pick up an animal with food and supplies for up to several weeks.
“Fosters have increased since we’ve had overpopulation because our main goal is to get dogs out of the shelter,” said Annette Jose, Miami-Dade Animal Services Director. “We have around 90 large dogs in foster and about 30 puppies in foster homes, so the community does come out and help us.”
Spaying and neutering programs are some of the most effective ways of combating overpopulation at shelters. These initiatives serve to limit the number of litters, resulting in fewer animals entering shelters. Local organizations frequently provide low-cost or free spaying and neutering procedures.
“The most important thing the community can do is spay and neuter their pets,” said Jose. “That is the number one thing that we’re asking everyone to do because responsible pet ownership means that you’re going to help us control this population crisis.”
The Miami Veterinary Foundation offers free basic check-ups for cats and dogs. Veterinarians at the organization provide free vaccinations, nail clipping, and flea prevention to improve the quality of life for pets.
Ultimately, addressing the overpopulation of stray animals in South Florida requires a great effort from the entire community. Adopting a culture of responsible pet ownership, supporting spay and neuter programs, and promoting adoption over purchasing from breeders can help alleviate the strain on local shelters.
