Beloved pets are being given up or deserted by their families who, caught in a downward economic spiral by soaring rents, inflation and gas prices, are forced to make a terrible choice.
They were discovered in the gated dog run by Cocoa Beach Police Department Officer Ian Olsen and his partner, Officer Roy Bond, who were dispatched to the park when somebody called to report the dogs.
According to rescue shelters and pet welfare advocates interviewed for this story, the number of pets — especially dogs — being surrendered to animal shelters in recent months has been increasing drastically. After years which saw animal surrenders to shelters dropping, the numbers went up 9,650 last year, and have continued their climb this year as the economic situation worsens.
Between 2019 and 2020, owner surrenders of their pets, as well as transfers of dogs and cats from small shelters, which can reach capacity quickly, to bigger shelters, went from 10,520 in 2019 down to 9,355 in 2020. However the downward trend was temporary. In 2021 shelter intake started going back up and went to 9,650.
Rebecca Thompson at the SPCA in Titusville said she’s seen a big increase in request intakes, which happens when smaller rescue groups are at capacity and can’t take in more animals. When these groups hit capacity, they reach out to the SPCA and other larger shelters to see if there are any spaces available.
Thompson said when a family surrenders a pet it’s never an easy decision. It’s one laced with guilt and fear. And, each case is individualized so there may be a family who is struggling with their pet’s medical fees so the SPCA has to find funds to help with that. Some families may even struggle to feed their pets and the SPCA will help with that too.
Barber knows that giving Buddy up might help her find an apartment, but for her the choice isn’t that simple.“He keeps me sane,” she said. “He kept me going because I wouldn’t have pushed further to get off the beach if it hadn’t have been for him, but I wanted to make sure he was housed and he was okay. It helped me make it through and get this job. He helped the whole way.”
“Most places don’t have a yard and don’t want to have the dogs there, in an apartment. They don’t want to have the dogs there or they’re charging $500 per deposit for one pet,” she said.So for now, Barber and Buddy live together in a hotel room. But from Barber’s perspective Buddy — not the room they sleep in — is home for her.
Jaime has also looked into finding a temporary foster home for the two animals, but so far hasn’t found anyone to take them. Several Brevard shelters like Touch of Grey, the SPCA and the Humane Society all offer various resources for pet owners to help them keep their pets, and if that fails, they try to rehome the pet in way that causes as little stress to the animal as possible.Late last year, the Brevard Humane Society opened a “Bed and Biscuit” – a dog daycare and 24-hour pet hotel.
The SPCA and the Humane Society also provide help with food, as well as affordable healthcare at their clinics. In cases where that’s not enough, they try to find the best solution for rehoming the animal. “We need time,” Naylor said. “Even if we’re not the best fit or we don’t have space, we have resources that we can give them to help them look for other places if we’re full at the moment.”In the case of the two shepherds found in Cocoa Beach, a local rescue stepped in.
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