RIDGLEY, MARYLAND -- Staff at the Caroline County Humane Society are looking for relief amidst an overflow of dogs in the animal shelter, with more waiting to get in.
According to Caroline County Humane Society Director Karen Culotta, the shelter currently has 41 dogs and more than 200 cats. All 20 of the shelter's large dog kennels are filled, and 90% of the small dog kennels are filled.
"We have somewhat of an unprecedented effect in terms of the number of dogs being very high, which I haven't seen even during my volunteer years," says Culotta. "It's not unusual, occasionally, to have a full kennel, but not a kennel that stays full."
Culotta says there is also a waitlist of nearly 20 people waiting to surrender their dogs to the humane society.
"We're not 100 percent sure what has created the consistent fullness of the kennels," says Culotta. "We do ask people 'why' when they're surrendering their pets, and sometimes it's that they're moving, they don't want to take the pet. Sometimes, it's changed by changes in family circumstances and changes in health conditions. Sometimes, the dog isn't getting along with another pet in the home. Sometimes, it's costly. It can be for a variety of reasons."
Med and kennel tech Kellee Hardisty says the abundance of dogs takes a toll on staff and their workload.
"It's a crisis at this point," says Kellee. "The sheer volume of making sure the animals are cleaned properly and taken care of is really daunting every day."
Hardisty says she understands life changes, but she believes the solution is simple.
"People need to take accountability," says Hardisty. "You can't force somebody to look at their dog as family, but I think more people need to do that."
Culotta says that volunteers and donations in any capacity are helpful in addition to helping the dogs find a forever home.
