By Taylor Boyd
Animal shelters and rescues are still feeling the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic because many are now getting rid of the animals they adopted during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
Elizabeth Whiteley, of Hulk’s Helping Hand Rescue in Meadows of Dan, said people are surrendering to shelters at a rapid pace. Of the past 35 animals the rescue took in, only two were not owner surrenders to Hulks or to a shelter.
“It is sad because the animals were there for them during COVID,” she said., adding that most of the animals Hulks has been asked to take in are neglected cases of animals adopted during the pandemic lockdown.
Because of the influx of abandoned animals, Hulks has been forced to stop accepting dogs because all their foster homes are full. The agency also stopped accepting cats and kittens until those currently available are adopted.
Another issue animal shelters and rescues are facing is the influx of purebred animals.
“Last year, breeders couldn’t sell pups fast enough. We saw breeders charge five times what they normally did for a pup. This year, breeders have been pushing the pups out, but no buyers,” she said.
The rescue has seen double the number of breeders wanting to surrender dogs and puppies that they could not sell, she added.
“We went from one-fourth of our animals being purebred to one-half and two-third purebred animals that were surrendered to shelters already at maximum capacity,” she said.
Many places are also facing this year’s large influx of kittens from kitten season, which typically runs from April through July with the average litter being between four and six.
“Last year, people were adopting kittens as soon as they were posted on social media. They didn’t get them spayed/neutered. Now we have seen a hug spike in kittens,” Whiteley said.
Hulks usually gets one call or email a week to help with kittens. This year, it is turning away four or five requests for help each day.
While she noted that the pandemic impacted the ability to spay/neuter animals, Whiteley said it shouldn’t have been an issue because there are so many options to help people get their animals sterilized.
Whiteley also said that people should not attempt to catch wild and stray kittens unless they can also catch the mother because it can be harmful if they have not yet weaned from her milk. Pre-weaned kittens without a mother are very difficult to care for and have a high mortality rate.
Adoption rates at Hulks has leveled out following lockdown, but has noticeably changed. Whiteley said Hulks recently saw an increase in adult animal adoption and a decrease in adoption rates for kittens and puppies.
Sadly, the situation is not uncommon elsewhere.
“I do not know of a rescue or shelter that is not at capacity right now,” Whiteley said.
Hulks Helping Hand Rescue charged $50 for senior dog adoption and $150 for small breed pups. The cost of cats and kittens recently increased from $10 to $35 due to an increase in spay/neuter for Hulks.
Donations to the rescue can be made by accessing the Amazon wish list on their website, https:// www.hulkshelpinghandrescue.com, or their Facebook page, Hulks Helping Hand Rescue 501c3. Monetary donations can be sent via PayPal to hulkshelpinghandrescue.com, or by mail to Hulk’s Helping Hand Rescue, P.O. Box 796, Meadows of Dan, VA 24120.
