The Franklin County Dog Shelter & Adoption Center announced Thursday via social media it is approaching its full capacity.
The shelter has more than 160 dogs awaiting adoption, according to a Facebook post.
Due to the high volume of dogs currently being held at the shelter, many have not been moved to the general adoption floor. The shelter urged people who would like to meet a dog seen on its website to let the staff know upon arrival.
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Kaye Persinger, shelter director, said the shelter has not been this full in the past 10 years. She said these high volumes are happening across the nation.
“Everyone is pretty much at max capacity,” she said.
Cincinnati Animal Care has already taken in a surplus of animals and is at “Code Red” capacity, according to The Cincinnati Enquirer.
That Humane Society no-kill animal shelter was at negative 71 kennels, according to a social media post made Tuesday, and its capacity is “lingering around the worst it’s ever been with more than two dozen dogs living in pop up crates.”
Persinger attributed the influx of animals to shelters to COVID-19. She said there are a shortage of veterinarians in the field since all elective animal surgeries, like spaying and neutering, stopped as a result of the pandemic.
All pets adopted from the shelter are spayed or neutered, vaccinated and microchipped, according to the shelter’s website.
“When we were allowed to start doing surgeries again, there’s a shortage of veterinarians and people are on waiting lists,” she said.
She said the shelter currently has almost 200 dogs in foster care, and suggested that as an option to people who are unsure about adoption. The shelter also offers a pet food pantry from community member donations if care costs are an obstacle.
“The community in Columbus is a blessing,” she said. “We would have to be making some really tough decisions if it weren’t for them.”
Persinger asked those who find a stray dog to make their best effort to find the owner before bringing it to the shelter.
To view all current dogs available to adopt with real-time updates, visit dogs.franklincountyohio.gov.
Cincinnati Enquirer reporter Emily DeLetter contributed to this article.
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