Animal shelter getting crowded again despite low-cost adoption event

FARMINGTON — A low-cost adoption event held last week at the Farmington Regional Animal Shelter resulted in the adoption of more than 100 animals, but the facility's director says the shelter already has begun to fill up again.

During the event, which took place June 14-18, animals were available for adoption for just $5, with the other fees associated with their adoption covered by a donation from the Farmington Regional Animal Shelter Foundation Inc. Stacie Voss, the animal welfare director at the shelter, said 52 cats and 58 dogs were adopted over those five days."It was pretty good, although not as good as past events," she said.

The shelter last held a low-cost adoption event Dec. 6-18, 2021, and that event saw 160 animals find a new home. That event was sponsored by the BISSELL Pet Foundation, and animals were available for a $20 fee.

The impact of the departure of 110 animals from the shelter last week was short lived, Voss said, explaining that the shelter received 37 animals in one day earlier this week.

"We are right back to being full," she said.

Voss said she was unsure about why the low-cost adoption event wasn't as successful as other such events in the past. But she said the Farmington shelter's experience is similar to what other facilities are experiencing these days."I think it's a combination of factors," she said. "A lot of shelters around the country are seeing a lot lower adoption numbers. And we haven't been able to transfer as many animals to other shelters because of that."

Voss speculated that the state of the economy has put a damper on pet adoptions, with many families unwilling to go to the expense of obtaining and/or maintaining a pet.

Various media reports indicate that while pet adoptions increased during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, they have fallen off substantially in 2022. One estimate in March indicated there were 100,000 more dogs and cats in shelters than there were in 2022.

Voss encouraged anyone who is looking for a furry companion to visit a facility like hers rather than going through a breeder or retail outlet.

"It's been a tough summer for us to get through," she said. "So if people are in the market for an animals to adopt, they need to consider adoption, not purchasing an animal."

While Voss said she had hoped to see every animal in the shelter go home with a family during the event, she still enjoys the feeling she gets from seeing so many animals adopted in a short period.

"It's still gratifying," she said, noting that virtually every puppy in the shelter and some of its long-term older dogs found a home during the event. "But we've already got a bunch of new puppies."

Anyone interested in adopting an animal from the shelter can call 505-599-1098 or visit fmtn.org/AnimalShelter.

Mike Easterling can be reached at 505-564-4610 or measterling@daily-times.com.

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