Muscatine Humane Society sees pet surrender increase

The Muscatine Humane Society is overcrowded and needs help as demand for its services increases. A post on the Humane Society’s Facebook page explains why they’re having to turn down pets in need.

“We have a crisis,” the post said. “Each and every day we are getting a minimum of five calls from pet owners needing to give up their pets. Some of these calls come from two hours away. We turned away six dogs yesterday because we simply do not have any kennel space.”

“These owners cannot even afford basic needs for their pets. Pet food and even cat litter are taking a back seat to food for their human families. We have no choice but to concentrate on our city and county residents who truly need help. This message is just FYI, so everyone understands our position and knows that we are doing the best we possibly can.”

Chris McGinnis, director at the Muscatine Humane Society, spoke with Our Quad Cities News via Zoom to explain what pet parents and the shelter need to help animals in crisis.

“I think part of it is that people don't have money right now,” she said. “Groceries and rent and utilities, and of course gasoline, are their priorities and they are finding that they cannot support three and four and five pets. The lady I turned down yesterday, I felt so bad for her. She has three large dogs. She's being evicted because she can't pay her rent and also, she has a cat. I am totally full here, and I could not help her.”

Anyone who could give these animals even a temporary home would be welcomed, McGinnis said. “Foster families would be amazing, especially for some of these people that are trying to surrender their own pets. It might be a short time term thing. If I had names of people that were willing to take in currently owned pets, I'd have somewhere to refer them to, but I don't even have any other shelters to refer them.”

“Another problem with animal shelters is most of us try to take from our own area. I've got people calling from two hours away, in some of the smaller towns like Marshalltown. I had someone from Waverly, Iowa. I can't take those animals because I have so many here of my own Muscatine city and county.”

She said there are some resources available through the Muscatine Humane Society that can help pet parents who are struggling with expenses. “We have a pet food pantry here in town that is a once-a-month visit. We have been supplying people in need with food and cat litter for cats. However, I'm finding more and more homeless people that did find someone to care for their pets and they're trying to supplement them with food. We're finding ourselves in need for food here for our animals.”

Support from the public has helped keep the shelter going, she said. “Our community has been wonderful, giving us food that we need. Currently, we're housing 194 cats and kittens and 57 dogs and that's way out of our boundary for cats and then the dogs. Pretty much all the kennels are full.”

She said offers of donations or foster homes are welcome. “They could definitely contact us through Facebook. Our phone number is 563-263-7358. Our location is 920 South Hauser, Muscatine, Iowa 52761 and we will help in any way that we can. We have been giving out names of other animal shelters in these people's areas. However, it seems that the calls we've been getting, people have exhausted their efforts. They've called absolutely everywhere.”

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