An animal shelter in New Jersey’s largest city is so full, the people who run it say some animals may have to be euthanized. Now they’re reaching out to the community, hoping to find loving homes before it’s too late.
Typically, the Associated Humane Societies in Newark can comfortably house about 120 to 125 animals. At this point, they have about 170, 50 more dogs than they can handle, and are taking in an average of eight a day.
Normally, the shelter averages one or two take-ins a day, says Sherri Laraway, who works with the shelter.
Laraway, a dedicated rescue coordinator, says that given the current state, the shelter may have no other option than to euthanize at least 10 dogs, a measure she says it doesn’t often have to take. A 10-month-old Huskie is among those set to be put down, should the dogs not get rescued before Wednesday’s euthanization deadline.
“It never feels like we are ahead of the game,” Laraway said.
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A 10-month-old Huskie named Fade is among those on the list to be euthanized.
Laraway says it’s unusual to see so many animals given up at this time of year.
“People are calling saying, “I don’t know how much longer I can keep my pet because our SNAP program is ending. We’re not getting the money we need. We have to feed our families,” Laraway says.
State governments are trying to help fill the void. It may not be enough.
The Newark shelter isn’t the only one seeing a sharp rise in pet abandonment. Last week, St. Huberts put out an urgent plea for pet food after owners lost SNAP benefits. And Pet Resqu Inc urged people to donate pet food to owners in need. Laraway says the shelter is more than happy to help with food if that’s what owners need.
A New Jersey animal shelter is desperately searching for forever homes for over a dozen dogs before Oct. 8 as they face overcrowding.
The Trenton Animal Shelter posted on social media that 15 dogs are facing euthanasia this Wednesday if they are not able to find homes so the shelter can comply with a 20 dog limit.
A special foster program for the dogs on this list is available where if the fostering family doesn’t want to proceed with permanent adoption, then the dog will be placed on a seven day timestamp list, the shelter says.
Eighteen dogs in Riverside County were rescued from a property after receiving a call for help from someone who was unable to continue caring for the animals.
More than a dozen dogs were rescued from a property in Coachella after the owner of the property called officials for help. She said she had been feeding the dogs for more than a month and was unable to continue looking out for them. It’s unclear where the dogs came from.
After the report, the Riverside County Department of Animal Services (RCDAS) transported the pooches to Amazing Dogs Rescue in San Diego. In addition to the 18 dogs that were removed from the property, the nonprofit rescue also took in an additional 12 dogs under its care.
“We serve as the safety net for people and pets in crisis, and we lean on our rescue partners to help us make space in overcrowded kennels,” RCDAS Director Kimberly Youngberg said in a statement.
The department said it’s been operating at critical overcapacity for the past month and is seeking the public’s help for support. Adoption fees have been waived through the end of September in hopes of alleviating capacity.
Anyone interested in adopting or fostering a pet from RCDAS can click here for more information.
Scrapple has had a rough life. The dog was abandoned and neglected twice and when she was rescued she had scars on her legs. She was in desperate need for another chance, just like Rob Rosa.
“It probably was the way that she looked when she came in,” Rosa told NBC10.
Rosa spent 12 years in prison where he turned his life around. He worked on farmland and cared for cows and horses while at the State Correctional Institution at Graterford (SCIG) in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. He also volunteered for the prison puppy program Canine Partners for Life (CPL) where he trained service dogs.
After he was paroled in 2005, Rosa became the Assistant to the Executive Director at CPL. His career in animal rescue services continued with leadership roles with Philadelphia Animal Care and Control (PACCA), the Animal Welfare Association in Voorhees, New Jersey, and the Animal Care & Control Team.
His latest role is Senior Vice President of Programs with New Leash on Life, a Pennsylvania nonprofit that pairs abandoned dogs with incarcerated individuals who train them, live with them and get them ready for adoption. A new round of dogs come into the prison every three months.
It’s through “New Leash on Life” that Rosa met Scrapple.
“We look for the dogs that kind of look like they’ve been thrown away and forgotten,” Rosa said. “My motivation, my drive is not only to rescue the dogs but also to provide an opportunity for all the people who go through the program a fresh start.”
Scrapple ultimately found her forever home after meeting Lashay Hill.
“It was love at first sight,” Hill told NBC10. “I’ll take everybody home and give everyone a home.”
A picture of Scrapple.
Clear The Shelters is NBCUniversal Local’s nationwide pet adoption and donation campaign that encourages people to adopt from their local shelters to “clear the shelters.” Each year, more than 100,000 animals are adopted from shelters and rescues that participate in our initiative. Learn how to donate to Clear the Shelters here.
Making a difference in an animal’s life could look like a simple bowl of water, some kibble and even a toy.
Omar Martinez, a Boyle Heights resident, started offering meals, water and toys to homeless dogs a couple of months ago. He shares the videos of these encounters on social media where he is known as Meta Meal Drops.
Martinez, who has two dogs of his own, said he never owned a pet before his dogs.
But when one of his dogs developed a health condition, causing its back legs to not work properly, he said he learned a lot more about what it takes to care for a pet.
After speaking to a vet and getting his dog some supplements, he became vigilant of other dogs he came across in the street, sometimes noticing the similar limps his dog experienced.
“I would feel so bad because most of them were in the street, homeless people, so most likely they don’t know about it. Or even if they do, those gummies are kind of expensive,” Martinez said. “And I was like, ‘Oh my God, I wish I could do something.’”
While driving around one day, Martinez said he came across a woman whose dog appeared to have issues with its back legs. He approached the woman and alerted her that her dog was practically dragging its legs.
“I’m not the type of person to tell people what to do with their pets, but I felt so bad because I don’t know if she was aware or not,” Martinez said.
In hopes of helping the woman and her dog, Martinez purchased some joint supplements to offer to the woman, but said he never found her again. He kept the supplements in his car in case he encountered someone else who may need them.
That’s when he began brainstorming ways he could offer some help to other homeless dogs in need.
“Well, other than the supplements, what about if I give them a whole meal? What about if they haven’t ate?” Martinez said he thought to himself.
Martinez began planning and out of his own pocket, purchased kibble, disposable bowls, water bottles and dog toys.
He created a setup in his trunk, and while driving around on breaks during his work day, he would spot homeless dogs and their owners who might need some help.
“Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been a person that feels a lot for people,” Martinez said. “If I see somebody going through a hard time, I try to help.”
Although some owners were a bit skeptical at first, Martinez says their faces immediately changed as soon as he opened his trunk.
“I feel like they get surprised, they don’t know if they should accept it or not,” Martinez said. “I don’t know how many people actually offer to help them.”
One particular video that garnered him attention was a dog named Maya, who he spotted a couple of times on the street and was able to offer her owner some water and dog food.
Martinez said that video, which has over 400,000 views on TikTok, is what prompted other social media users to reach out to him via messages, videos and comments and begin asking him how they can help.
This is Maya🐶💕 (full video) Saw her and her owner walking early in the morning on my day off. They both looked tired. He was eating a small snack, and she kept looking up at him like she was hoping for a piece. I pulled over and asked if I could offer Maya a free meal. He said yes. As soon as I handed them water bottles, Maya locked in — smacking her lips, drinking nonstop, and finally laying down like she could finally breathe. She needed that. 🐾 Meal Drop #2 📍 Los Angeles Please share to help spread this mission. 🙏 #fyp#dogsoftiktok#animallover#dogtok#losangeles#explorepage
“Since I was getting all this attention I kind of wanted to make it like a team thing,” Martinez said. “I never had that in mind of donations. I just didn’t feel good taking money from people.”
Instead, he decided to set up an Amazon wishlist where people can help purchase supplies for his trunk setup.
“I still feel bad even though I’m still doing this because I know it’s not much. I wish I could change their whole situation,” Martinez said. “Especially the dogs, get them inside a home, not in the streets.”
“I could see the little changes. I’m not saying I made it perfect for them, but I could probably provide a couple food. I could make their days good for the next couple days, next couple weeks,” Martinez said.
Martinez added that he also hopes his videos help inspire others to help even in small ways like a bit of food.
“I wish I could change everything to their whole situation, but I can’t,” Martinez said. “That’s why I do it, to be like, ‘Ok I did something to help, at least something small but I did something.’”
A trio of dogs that were abandoned at a park in Watts has neighbors concerned for the animals’ well-being as the sun continues to glare down on Southern California.
Videos taken of the three large dogs show them roaming around Watts Towers Park on the 10600 block of Graham Avenue. Sharlin Romero, who lives in the community, has been posting videos of the dogs online in hopes someone can help them.
“It’s been almost two weeks, over two weeks now and they’re here in the sun, hot,” she said. “We try our best to give them food and water but it really just describes how canines are loyal to their owners. They’ve been here waiting for their owner to come back.”
Please don’t get a dog if you’ll just end up abandoning them 😔 they were dropped off at the park across my house and they’re still waiting for their owner to come back. As much as I want to take them home with me I can’t. I have kids and a dog already. I won’t be able to give them the time that they need. #dogs#help#fyp
Romero said she’s been visiting the dogs daily to give them food and leave them buckets of water. The pooches have been taking refuge from the heat under cars and in bushes, and come out at night after temperatures drop.
Neighbors have described the dogs as friendly. It’s unclear what breed the dogs are exactly, but they are believed to be German Shepherd mixes.
“Right now, I’m really concerned about the other one, which may be a senior dog,” Romero said. “He’s been vomiting since I’ve been trying to feed him just not too long ago. Last night he was perfectly fine, he was playing with the water as I was giving them water last night but now, he seems to be under the weather. I’m worried he might be more dehydrated than we thought he would be.”
Romero said she and other neighbors have called local shelters for help in caring for the dogs, but have not heard back. NBC4 has reached out to LA Animal Services for comment.
Shelters across the Delaware area are discovering a disease rapidly spreading among their dogs.
Back in June 2024, the first few cases popped up at Faithful Friends Animal Society, an animal shelter in New Castle, Delaware. Dogs were showing signs of sneezing, coughing and runny noses. From there, the illness rapidly spread to a majority of their animals, creating an urgent situation that required immediate attention.
The issue began to affect shelters across Delaware, one of three states that does not allow the killing of animals. However, for now, the Department of Agriculture says shelter dogs cannot be moved into or out of the state. This means that southern states that rely on sending their animals to be adopted in Delaware can’t send them there, and Delaware shelters can’t offer as many walk-in services for animals either.
“Unfortunately, we had to hold on public veterinary care, which is not only a service that supports our mission but that also helps us generate revenue for the shelter as well,” said Shannon O’Neill, Director of Public Relations for the Faithful Friends Animal Society.
The Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) is requesting the public’s cooperation in making all efforts to reunite stray dogs with their owners before contacting the Office of Animal Welfare’s Delaware Animal Service for pickup or taking them to the state’s connected animal shelter, the Brandywine Valley SPCA.
“Stray dogs are usually found very close to home and by walking the dog around the neighborhood or checking with neighbors, the dog can often be reunited with their owner(s) with no need for impoundment,” said OAW Executive Director Christina Motoyoshi. This proactive approach is crucial in limiting the number of impounded dogs and reuniting every lost dog with their owner.
Faithful Friends also seeks foster families to keep their healthy dogs safe. Experts also shared the following safety tips for dog owners.
Consider keeping your dogs away from any animal with a cough or other symptoms.
If you find a stray dog, try hard to find its owner yourself. Attempt to walk the dog around your area, scour social media, and use the Nextdoor app.
If you notice symptoms in your dogs, don’t ignore them, but also don’t panic. Call your veterinarian to let them know your pet has respiratory symptoms. Some places may have a special room, while others will ask you to wait in your vehicle.
Volunteers with Los Angeles Animal Services and rescue groups are hopeful a free statewide adoption event will reduce the overcrowding at local shelters, but they say that’s only part of the solution for solving the crisis.
As of Friday afternoon, LA Animal Services was at 205% capacity, with more than 1,500 dogs spread across their six city-run shelters. In an effort to help with the overpopulation, California shelters will be participating in a first-ever statewide free Adoption Day Event on June 1. This includes LA City, LA County, Orange County and San Bernardino County shelters.
There is an overwhelming number of unwanted animals entering the shelters at a rate higher than they’re coming out. It’s a critical issue that animal rescue groups and shelters are working to address, with the resources available.
Inside the North Central LA Animal Shelter, many kennels are doubled up with dogs due to the limited space and resources.
“We’re probably one of the more underfunded departments but we have to care for all these animals,” said LA Animal Services Public Information Director, Agnes Sibal.
Sibal explained how their six shelters are doing their best to keep up with the demand.
“They are having to kill a lot of dogs for space and we should be open and honest about that because that will only help people want to do better by their dogs. That will only help people want to rescue these animals,” said Animal Rescue Mission Founder, Shira Scott Astrof.
Astrof is concerned the city-run shelters are unable to properly handle the overcrowding crisis and claims they’re putting adoptable dogs on a “Red List,” which gives the animals a two-week window until they’re scheduled to be euthanized. However, LA Animal Services strongly denies they put down any animals for space.
“A lot of the animals that are on the red list are there because they have medical issues or a safety or behavior concern,” said Sibal.
The stress of overcrowded shelters is a problem across the country, which is why the California Animal Welfare Association, also known as CalAnimals, and ASPCA are hosting a free adoption event at more than 170 California shelters.
“People are struggling with lack of access to veterinary care or pet-friendly housing. And so, animal shelters and what’s going on in animal shelters is really always just a symptom of what’s going on in a general community,” said CalAnimals CEO Jill Tucker.
NBC4 reached out to LA Animal Services General Manager Staycee Dains about the concerns from volunteers and rescue groups.
Dains provided a written response saying she was focused on saving the lives of animals and working to address the overcrowding crisis and would be happy to do an interview. However, Dains has not been available when NBC4 requested interviews, and recently canceled two scheduled in-person interviews.
