LI shelters, rescue groups cope with influx of surrendered pets, low donations

Too few donations and too many owners surrendering dogs, cats, rabbits, reptiles and other pets — some adopted when COVID-19 first raged — are making for a difficult autumn season for local shelters and rescue groups.

The romance of bringing home a creature with fur or scales for fun and boredom-easing companionship during quarantines evidently has faded, Long Island rescuers said.

“We have had people call and say, ‘Now I’m back to work, I just don’t have time for this,' ” said Lori Ketcham, a wildlife rehabilitator with Save the Animals Rescue Foundation.

The foundation only accepts abandoned wildlife or creatures from other shelters, not drop-offs, so the animal's history often is unknown.

However, the timing does suggest these were pandemic adoptions.

“We’re not sure what their stories are, but their ages are usually in line with getting them in the last two to three years,” she said.

Laurette Richin, executive director of Long Island Bulldog Rescue in Stony Brook, said she has not had pets returned because of the pandemic — but indirectly, the impact on the economy may be to blame.

“Surrenders are way up there. I’m getting four to five a day, which is shocking, because some people have spent $3,500 to $7,000 and on up for their bulldog," she said.

“I’ve been doing this for 23 years, and this is the worst season because adoptions are down, donations are down, people are stressed about money, so they are not adopting as many dogs.”

The expense of keeping an animal has also gone up with pet food and veterinary services rising along with inflation.

At the Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation in Hampton Bays, there has been “an uptick in owner surrenders as a result of the pandemic,” Nicole A. Morris Tumilowicz, director of development and marketing, said in an email.

“Summit,” a large and playful 3-year-old dog from Texas, was adopted as a pup. "I think one of the parents lost their job … and with the high cost of food and just their own family, they can no longer care for Summit," said Patricia Deshong, executive director. "The people cried when they had to drop [it] off." 

Luckily, another family already has been found for this tan- and mahagony-spotted hound.

The effects of any pandemic-motivated surrenders of adopted pets appear uneven, as some shelters have not seen an increase. But the reasons for returning a creature can be a bit murky, and include too little time, misbehavior, costs, illness, evictions or misguided holidays gifts.

"We're starting to see people surrendering pets, but we don't know yet whether it's a pet that went out during the pandemic. But there's never a shortage of pets being surrendered, regardless," said Grace DeVita, director, Second Chance Animal Rescue Inc. in Levittown.

However, Joanne Anderson outreach coordinator at Wantagh’s Last Hope Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation, said the facility isn't seeing the surrenders other places are, saying “I keep reading our shelters are packed because dogs are coming back, and ‘No, we’re not.’ ” 

Several experts also said they have been surprised by an influx of what seem like easier pets to care for, dubbed the "small furries." 

“We’re getting more surrenders, but I think the most notable uptake is with rabbits and guinea pigs,” said Chris Elton, director of Babylon Animal Adoption and Rescue Center. "On a positive note, if you are looking for a rabbit, we have quite a selection, all shapes and sizes and looks."

Rescuers did agree about one problem: Long Island now has too few vets to service all these animals, as a number seem to have retired early rather than try to stay open during the pandemic.

"There is a shortage of veterinary services on Long Island," Elton said.

Though the number of vets in private practice had been growing fairly steadily in recent years, the U.S. total slipped to 73,900 in 2021, from 76,552 in 2018, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association based in Schaumburg, Illinois.

And with inflation still running high, remaining veterinary groups, like many practitioners, have raised their bills.

Said Richin: "Since 2020, veterinary costs have virtually doubled."

At the same time, a number of shelters say donations are down, probably because of worrisome inflation and the resulting economic insecurity. 

"Donations are very slim," DeVita said.

As people become more comfortable with vaccines — and crowds — fundraisers have resumed, rescuers said, but attendance still is off.

Before the pandemic, the Levittown shelter said its bingo games might draw 300 people. "Now that COVID is over, the most we've had is probably 120 or 130," Anderson said.

To reduce surrenders, animal rescuers say they microchip all pets, offer help with training — and screen applicants thoroughly to be sure they understand how long their pet will live, what care it needs, and whether it is a solid match. 

For example, Ketcham is looking for someone to adopt a python or a Caiman Red Tail Boa Constrictor.

"They have to go to somebody who isn't looking to breed, and wants the responsibility of caring for a pet that is not cuddly and not going to love you," Ketcham said.

Similarly, the tortoises looking for homes, she says, are not going to want to go for a walk.

"They just want to be," Ketcham said.