Hurricane Hilary’s wreckage led to the relocation of 20 dogs from Riverside County, California, to Dane County on Sept. 14 following the closure of an animal shelter.
German Shepherds, Siberian Huskies and mixed breeds were transported by Wings of Rescue, a nonprofit organization focused on reducing euthanasia rates by transferring dogs from overcrowded shelters to less crowded ones.
Dane County Humane Society (DCHS) previously provided relief for shelters that experienced overcrowding around the nation. In April, DCHS received 24 cats. In February 2022, DCHS took in 60 dogs from overcrowded shelters.
This transportation came at a crucial time as Hurricane Hilary exacerbated overcrowding conditions, often leaving shelters inaccessible to the general public.
“It looked like a lake out there, and it was blocking access to our facilities,” Kerri Mabee, Riverside County Department of Animal Services spokesperson, told The Daily Cardinal.
Courtesy of Dane County Humane Society
Additionally, Mabee believes “most shelters across the United States are experiencing overcrowding” right now.
Lisa Bernard, DCHS public relations coordinator, told the Cardinal larger dogs can be difficult to house compared to smaller animals due to weight, breed and apartment size dissuading potential adopters.
“People live in different residences — apartment buildings and such — that have restrictions on size and weight,” Bernard said. “Some prefer smaller dogs to larger dogs because they think they’ll be able to handle them better.”
Despite these challenges, Bernard has hope that all of the dogs will be adopted, believing “we have a very loving community” in Dane County that “loves their animals.”
In light of this, 11 of the dogs have already been adopted and another is currently on hold, according to DCHS. The animals are not at risk of being euthanized while still healthy thanks to DCHS policy.
Courtesy of Dane County Humane Society
“The number of adopters in our community is much higher than the number of animals that are surrendered or who come in stray and don’t find their families with them,” she noted.
Though overcrowding remains a major problem across the nation, particularly in warmer climates such as the South and Los Angeles, Dane County has maintained a manageable animal population, Bernard said. The bitter cold of Wisconsin’s winters provides relief to Wisconsin’s Humane Societies by restricting the breeding season and slowing the spread of viruses among animals, he added.
The high adoption rate couldn’t be done without foster adopters, animal behavior specialists and the 900 volunteers who work for DCHS, Bernard said.
“We’re always thinking of ways to help the animal mentally as well as emotionally,” she said. “We don’t just focus on the physical.”
In addition, DCHS has a rehoming service on their website where new owners can adopt pets directly from their old owners, limiting an extended stay at the humane society.
Bernard highlighted the importance of getting animals spayed and neutered to prevent the overcrowding of animal shelters.
“I don’t think there’s just one answer,” she said. “We need more veterinarians to go to school and we can offer more services and make sure these animals are getting spayed and neutered.”
DCHS also holds events such as Dog Days, where pet owners bring their dogs to receive pet supplies and vouchers to get their pets spayed or neutered for free.
“We feel great relief, great happiness and a huge amount of gratitude to Dane County and all of our partners, including Wings of Rescue, who came together to do this great deed,” Mabee said.
