11/02/2026
If you work in the shelter industry or know anyone who does, you'll notice dog rehoming is on the rise these past few post-covid years! Why is that?
Well when Covid happened there was a boom of available adopters scooping up every dog in sight. As supply went down and demand went up, eventually supply had to increase to meet demand, backyard breeders started cashing in on this new opportunity and the available dog population sky rocketed.
At the same time vet availability went down, meaning a reduction in spay, neuter, and spay-abortions, leading to increased pregnancies in companion animals. While this didn't seem like an issue initially (all these animals getting adopted is good right?) a lot of these animals ended up returning into care post covid when lifestyles changed and people were no longer able to care for their companions.
Additionally with increased cost of living post covid has become increasingly harder and harder for people to provide adequate care for their pets which again can result in a higher rate of relinquishment.
By no means do I want to criticize anyone for rehoming a pet, it is an incredibly challenging decision and a very heartbreaking experience. I worked in a large rescue managing surrenders for 8 years and I can count on one hand the number of unjustified surrenders that occurred in that time frame. People really do their best to do right by their animal despite the limited resources they have.
So how do we fix this?
1.) Make pet ownership affordable again.
-Reduce cost of vet care/insurance (I believe vets and their teams deserve to be paid a living wage however I believe corporations that own clinics are frequently pushing prices without compensating their team).
-Programs like community food banks to supply people with food, litter, leashes, collars, etc.
2.) Reduce the volume of animals in our community through spay/neuter programs and ethical breeding.
-We should only be breeding animals that are healthy and of a good behavioural temperament in regulated breeding facilities that have regular check in's from a third party agency.
-Providing spay/neuter drives and vouchers for reduced cost makes it far more affordable for guardians to spay or neuter their pets.
3.) Address behavioural challenges appropriately and practice ethical sheltering.
-Ethical sheltering is the practice of an animal shelter that only releases animals believed to be safe (to the shelters knowledge) and of good temperament. There is wiggle room to work with animals that have mild to moderate behaviour challenges and place them with select matching. However animals with severe behaviour challenges that are unsafe to manage should not be placed into the community, particularly if they pose a threat to community or adopter safety.
-Low income training options! Trainers are expensive! While trainers should be compensated for their skill set and knowledge there has to be a middle ground that still supports low income households. By offering training on a sliding scale, you reduce the number of animals relinquished for behaviour problems. Wild Ways Animal Training has recently teamed up with Vets for Pets to offer free behaviour advice and consulting to low income individuals accessing Vets for Pets. We want to do our part to help, however we can!
What more do you think we can do to reduce pet relinquishment and keep animals in safe & happy homes?
