Dr. Kate Hurley's Take on the Animal Shelter Crisis and Advice for Animal Advocates

Dr. Kate Hurley is one of the leading voices in the animal welfare movement, and someone whose words of wisdom resonate deeply with me every time I'm lucky enough to hear her speak or be in conversation with her. Her experience includes serving as the Director of the UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program since 2005, co-authoring both editions of the Association of Shelter Veterinarians' Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters, and co-founding and leading the Million Cat Challenge. Recently, she's been in conversation with animal advocates and I've been reading her words and wishing they could be shared more broadly.

A couple of weeks ago, I got up the courage to ask her if we could turn those emails into a public communication, and she said 'Yes!' Read ahead for Dr. Hurley's thoughts on the current crisis in animal shelters and her advice to animal advocates who want to improve shelter conditions and save lives.

"Our nation’s animal shelter system is experiencing historic levels of crowding and ongoing crises. These challenges are unfortunately becoming more the norm than the exception. Many shelters struggle with unmanageable intake, insufficient resources, and intense scrutiny, all straining animal shelter systems to the brink of collapse. It’s not only a tough time for animals and staff in shelters, but for concerned volunteers and community members as well. External advocates can be game-changers in urging needed support and transformation, or can paradoxically undermine the very change that is so desperately needed.

Systemic problems need systemic solutions

The struggle that many shelters are experiencing right now is an expression of an inherently unworkable system, where there is no mechanism to match expectations of intake and service to the community, with the capacity to meet those needs safely and humanely. This systemic imbalance can not be remedied by even the most dedicated and qualified individual shelter leader or even team, and the larger the shelter, the more dramatic this mismatch tends to be: any wobble in staffing or surge in intake leads to more severe and often spiraling consequences.

The Reality of Shelter Crowding

For every shelter, there is a ceiling to the number of animals that can be admitted, safely and humanely cared for, and provided with appropriate live outcomes. At the same time, animal shelters experience intense internal and external pressure to admit every animal in perceived need, and euthanize none. Both expectations arise from deeply positive impulses: to ensure care for animals in need, and to avoid euthanasia of fundamentally healthy, potentially adoptable animals. However, the only methods to ultimately balance intake and outcomes are either to regulate intake to match the rate of live outcomes or to euthanize to make way for newly admitted animals. When neither method is available, the population within the shelter expands and the inevitable result is crowding, inadequate care, animal sickness and death, and staff burnout.

Criticism and negative media are understandable responses when such conditions arise and persist in shelters. The vast majority of shelter staff agree with critics who advocate for better care of animals and less euthanasia for healthy and treatable pets. However, even fully justified criticism, unless judiciously applied, can create further pressure and paradoxical dysfunctions within the system. For example, shelters may feel the need to apply overly broad policies around intake or experience paralysis around even euthanasia of animals that are suffering or dangerous.

Now with social media, more measured criticism is often coupled with vicious personal attacks against individuals, threats of harm, and even death threats. It will be easy for most of us to imagine how this creates a tough context in which to engage in dialogue and the kind of creative and collaborative problem solving that is needed to address complex systemic issues.

The Way Forward

Identify Allies and Build Alternative Models: Focus on collaborating with solution-oriented advocates and fosterers within your community. These individuals are essential for building a sustainable and humane support network. When it seems overwhelming, start small and identify where the greatest need overlaps with your group’s particular interests and resources. There are so many areas to contribute, whether that’s raising orphan kittens, advocating for pet friendly housing, assisting to reunite lost pets, helping your neighbors with TNR, creating messaging and materials about shelter or community programs that are inclusive and match the languages spoken in your community, and so many more.

Capacity Management and Constructive Support: No system can function effectively without controlling either its intake or outflow. Advocate for shelters to establish protocols that align intake with capacity, similar to how veterinary practices responsibly manage patient loads. Instead of broad criticism, offer specific, practical support. For example, developing emergency support for fosters or training "super fosters" that support other foster care providers can alleviate some pressures. You can also choose to focus on the live outcome end for animals already in the shelter: what barriers to the right result could you help break down? In particular, helping to reunite pets with their owners has triple benefits: it brings families back together, fast tracks animals out of the shelter and relieves the burden of crowding, and frees up adoptive homes for those truly in need. Whether it's advocating for freedom for the shelter to waive reclaim fees, volunteering to give dogs a ride home for folks that don’t have transport, or maintaining a robust lost and found page, there are many ways to support this and other live outcome pathways.

Engage your Community and Professional Networks: Navigating these complex challenges requires a supportive community for those doing the difficult work of advocacy as well as those working directly within shelters. Engaging with like-minded collaborators sharing similar focus, joining relevant professional groups where available, and attending animal welfare related conferences can provide valuable insights and lighten the burden. Also think about how you can expand your network of collaborators - only about 35% of people get their pets from a shelter, yet about 70% of US households have pets. Getting to know the diverse makeup of your community and finding ways to engage with people from more backgrounds can dramatically expand the options available to support animals in need as well as expanding your own circle of support.

A Call for Partnership

In addressing these systemic issues, collaboration and partnership are crucial. Shelters need specific offers of support to provide better outcomes for animals. Programs that offer alternatives to shelter intake or facilitate easy exits for animals can be highly beneficial. The Operation Catnip Kitten Diversion model, for example, keeps healthy kittens out of shelters and engages the community in fostering.

Final Thoughts:

Shift from criticism to support by providing resources and practical solutions. Engage community members who can help care for animals without overwhelming the shelter system."

Learn more from Dr. Hurley and the UC Davis team in this week's Shelter Animals Count blog, 'Shelter Capacity: Not Just About the Number of Kennels.'