Newark Animal Shelter In 'Crisis Mode' After Deluge Of New Dogs, Cats

NEWARK, NJ — One of the largest animal shelters in New Jersey says that it has been completely overwhelmed by a flurry of new intakes this year – especially dogs – and there’s no relief in sight.

On Wednesday, the Associated Humane Societies (AHS) put out a call for help at its Newark shelter in an email newsletter, saying that it has seen a dramatic rise in the number of animals coming into the shelter over the past year.

“So far this year our intake numbers have increased by over 19 percent,” administrators said. “Though we are adopting our more animals than ever before in AHS history, it isn’t enough.”

The influx of dogs coming into the Newark shelter – especially large ones – has been an especially difficult situation to handle, administrators said. The facility currently has zero open kennel space, putting it in “crisis mode.”

From April 1 to April 11, a total of 43 dogs came into the AHS-Newark shelter. Meanwhile, only 20 pooches left during that time period: six adoptions, eight returned to owners, and six transferred to other facilities.

“Between lost animals, owner surrenders, cruelty cases and more, our kennels are completely full – although we continue to have new animals arrive daily,” AHS administrators reported.

The AHS said people can help by adopting a dog, or fostering a dog. The nonprofit also runs shelters in Tinton Falls and Forked River.

• See Related: Newark Shelter Is Overflowing With Adoptable Dogs; Wellness Clinic Nears

MORE DOGS AND CATS IN SHELTERS … BUT WHY?

This week’s announcement from the AHS triggered a discussion on social media.

“Any idea what is causing this influx?” one person asked. “Is it still people returning to the office after the pandemic?”

It was a theory that another commenter disagreed with.

“In general, the ‘pandemic pets being returned due to people going back to the office’ was a myth,” they wrote. “Pandemic pets being surrendered mostly have to do with poverty and behavioral problems.”

AHS staff also responded to the question:

“It really is a nationwide issue, and the number of stray animals – in addition to those surrendering animals due to financial reasons or they cannot afford to live in pet-friendly housing and are forced to surrender – is rising. In less than two weeks, our shelter has taken in almost 50 dogs, only eight of them being reclaimed by families looking for their lost pets. There are a myriad of reasons, but many of them stem back to financial difficulties.”

It isn’t only their Newark shelter that’s feeling the pressure, AHS administrators said.

“So many New Jersey shelters are in the position, at or above capacity, which limits the space available to help other animals in need and immensely increases the burden of care,” the AHS reported.

According to the AHS-Newark shelter’s most recent animal intake and disposition survey – forms that are voluntarily tallied and submitted to the state health department – it impounded 1,129 dogs in 2021. The Newark shelter also impounded 1,999 cats and 112 “other” animals.

In the years prior to the pandemic, the AHS-Newark shelter reported even higher impound totals, taking in 1,854 dogs and 2,014 cats in 2017, and 2,314 dogs and 3,349 cats in 2015.

Overall, Essex County – which includes Newark, the largest city in the state – saw a dip in the number of impounded dogs and cats during the pandemic. Here are the most recent intake stats for Essex County:

• 2019 – 2,186 dogs / 2,634 cats / 73 other
• 2020 – 1,292 dogs / 1,819 cats / 203 other
• 2021 – 1,273 dogs / 2,243 cats / 129 other

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Learn more about advertising on Patch here. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site. Don’t forget to visit the Patch Newark Facebook page.