Lexington’s animal shelter almost full. This temporary adoption fee reduction might help

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There was a phenomenon during the coronavirus pandemic you may have seen on the news or in your social media feed: People longing for connection turned to their local animal shelters and adopted pets by the millions.

By early 2022, more than 23 million American households — nearly 1 in 5 nationwide — had adopted a pet during the pandemic , The Washington Post reported, citing data from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Meghan Hawkins, the director of community engagement at the Lexington Humane Society, remembers with gratitude how the community stepped up. Many Lexington residents adopted or fostered cats and dogs at their homes. With fewer animals at the humane society’s no-kill shelter, staff had more time to devote the remaining ones in their care.

Since then, however, Hawkins has seen a reversal of that trend. As people returned to their offices and grappled with the rising cost of caring for a pet, preferences shifted toward cats, perceived as being more independent and easier to care for.

After previously slashing adoption fees for cats, the shelter raised them hoping to curb demand and encourage more dog adoptions. Hawkins is happy many people will adopt two kittens without blinking, but she’d also like to see the shelter’s dogs go to a good home.

“The shift has gone from big dogs being popular to now cats being popular,” Hawkins said. “Of course, small dogs and puppies are still popular, they always are. But we are seeing big dogs staying in shelters and staying here specifically longer before they’re adopted…That’s not just an isolated problem to us at LHS. It’s a nationwide problem.”

‘We need people’

According to Hawkins, the Lexington Humane Society has the capacity to house almost 600 animals. As of last week, 500 are in its care. That number includes animals in the custody of Lexington-Fayette Animal Care and Control, Hawkins said.

“We’ve never been to the point where we’ve had to turn them away, and we hope to never be at that point,” Hawkins said.

The shelter doesn’t place space or time limits on animals. Once a pet goes up for adoption, it remains up for adoption until it finds home, has a health setback or regresses behaviorally, Hawkins said.

“It’s just taxing on the staff. It’s a lot of animals for them to care for,” Hawkins said. “They’re so busy providing basic care, it’s hard for them to find the time just to provide the additional care as far as enrichment and spending time with the animals to really get to know them.”

LHS volunteers and fosters have been a vital help and base of support, Hawkins said. In recent years, the shelter has been successful in getting more people to donate their time.

“We have volunteers here every single day to help us clean the cages, do the laundry, do the dishes, take the dogs out for walks, provide extra care to the cats,” she said.

Many larger dogs are under the care of temporary foster parents, with the shelter providing food supplies and covering related costs at no expense to the foster. If you want to become a pet foster , Hawkins said the application process is simple and LHS staff can help every step of the way.

“That’s really when (the work) begins for the foster care team because they receive constant questions and phone calls and emails, and they’re always available to help out and offer resources,” Hawkins said.

Adoption also helps take the pressure off staff, and it will soon become even more affordable. Through its Empty the Shelters program, the Bissell Pet Foundation is partnering with shelters across the country this summer to slash adoption costs. Reduced fee adoptions will run through July 8 to 31, according to a Bissell Pet Foundation news release.

You can also make a monetary donation or donate some of your time to the LHS, Hawkins said. The Check Me Out program, sponsored by MetLife Insurance, allows volunteers to take dogs for walks or briefly bring the animal home to relax.

“You don’t have to be looking to adopt to do that,” Hawkins said. “You return a dog that’s a tired dog, and as they say, a tired dog is a happy dog.”

Hawkins said the LHS welcomes all kinds of support.

“We need people,” she said. “A dog going into a foster home for even a couple of days is a completely different, happier dog when they return to us... Happier dogs get adopted quicker.”

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