Government, non-profit, and privately run facilities on the Eastern Shore and across the state are seeing record animal intake numbers before the projected busiest time of year.
As previously covered on Conduit Street, local government programs work in conjunction with community-based organizations to ensure abandoned and surrendered animals are cared for and re-homed. A recent article from the Cecil Whig highlighted a significant increase in shelter activity earlier in the year, and well ahead of what is typically considered the busy season for shelters.
Leaders in both Talbot and Caroline counties reflected on the challenges in the article. Thoughts from Talbot Humane Executive Director Patty Crankshaw-Quimby focus on the surge shelters are seeing:
There has been a 35% increase in dog intake and a 25% increase in cat intake this year over 2023, she said. Crankshaw-Quimby noted that the shelter has yet to reach its busiest time of the year for kitten, which is in the later summer months and early fall.
Caroline County leadership discusses that struggles animal owners are facing:
“For some people, with the cost of vet care going up, with the cost of everything going up, or, since the pandemic, sometimes (people) can’t afford to feed their animals or can’t afford to get vaccinations, which is required of every cat and dog in the state of Maryland,” Culotta said. “It’s very challenging for everybody here.”
