Looking for a pet? Tacoma-Pierce County Humane Society at capacity, urging adoptions

The Tacoma-Pierce County Humane Society is at its physical limits.

The shelter hit maximum capacity for animals last month — which it was still at as of Wednesday — and is urging people to adopt or foster animals to open space.

While the shelter is not entirely sure why so many animals are coming in, communications manager Lindsey Heaney said strays, returns and owner surrenders are among the reasons. During the Fourth of July weekend alone, the shelter saw just over 70 stray animals come into its care.

Over 650 animals came to the shelter for care in June, chief operating officer Leah Turner said in a news release. Between July 1 and 7, the humane society took in over 170 animals, communications manager Lindsey Heaney said in an email.

Of those animals, over 80 are ready to be adopted.

“If you are able to provide a good and loving home, consider adding a furry friend and extending that love and that care that you could give to a furry animal in need,” Heaney said. “All these animals are just looking for love, and they’re looking for a nice home.”

Heaney said the shelter has faced capacity issues before. The shelter has worked to facilitate more adoptions and is now trying to build its foster program to ensure animals are in loving homes while also freeing up shelter space. Heaney said there are currently 350 animals in foster homes.

“That’s already a lot, and we continually need more,” Heaney said.

The shelter has enough space for about 100 dogs and 200 cats. Those numbers include space in medical care and stray intake, Heaney said, along with adoption areas. Adoption areas are where the shelter has full capacity.

Aside from space, operating at maximum capacity means the shelter goes through food and other supplies more quickly, Heaney said. It can also lead to an uptick in medical costs.

“We see around 10,000 animals every year come through our doors, and that gets expensive,” Heaney said. “That takes a lot of resources and a lot of staff time.”

Heaney said in an email that cats have been the most adopted animal between June 1 and July 7. That is standard for the time of year and unrelated to the “pandemic puppy” trend.

Heaney said locally, the shelter cannot confirm that it’s experiencing the same trend in which individuals adopt puppies during the pandemic and subsequently return them for a slew of reasons.

“We do get returns time to time,” Heaney said. “We can’t pinpoint that it’s COVID-related, but you know, one prominent thing that we have been seeing with returns is that owners can’t really afford the high veterinary bills.”

Heaney always advises adopters to follow the three-three-three rule: it takes three days for a new animal to decompress, three weeks for the animal to settle in and three months until they become a true part of the family. Heaney said it takes time and patience when adjusting to a new pet, and all adopters are offered free pet care counseling through the shelter.

The shelter, located at 2608 Center St., has adoption hours from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. every day. Dog adoption fees are between $500 and $80. Cat adoption fees are between $135 and $30, and rabbits are $80. Adoption fees can vary based on the animal’s age, size, breed, medical condition or length of time at the shelter, according to the shelter’s website.

Whether someone chooses to adopt or foster an animal, it adds more love to their life, Heaney said.

“Pets become your best friend,” Heaney said. “If you give them the right love and care, they’re going to give you that love back.”

This story was originally published July 8, 2021 at 5:05 AM.