A Simcoe County animal rescue agency is asking for help as adoption rates sit at an all-time low while more dogs are coming into their care.
Precious Paws Rescue says that post-pandemic, and with the rising cost of living, they are seeing an increase in dogs being given up and a decrease in people looking to adopt a furry friend.
The animal rescue agency is a charity that helps re-home dogs from shelters and owner surrenders and helps owners who can’t afford pet food or emergency surgeries.
The rescue’s founder says 2023 has been the most challenging year for adoption applications in their 17 years of operation.
“COVID brought a huge surge in people who wanted dogs because they were at home, and it was just more feasible for them. During COVID, we had all kinds of applications, and the dogs were placed in homes fairly quickly once they were ready for adoption,” Cassandra Hauck says.
“This year, we’re finding even that healthy, happy, 12-week-old puppies are not getting applications very quickly.”
She says they are seeing a lot of dogs purchased during the pandemic that were not properly trained are now being given up.
Hauck says they’re seeing more dogs being surrendered, and need more people looking to adopt.
She notes on average, they usually have between 10 to 20 dogs at a time in foster homes, but right now, they have 25.
Some of their dogs have been with foster families for more than a year.
“I think that people being back working outside of the home is making it more difficult to have time for pets in their home. I also think there are financial struggles with (the) inflation of everything. I think people are watching where those funds are going more.”
With so many dogs in need of a home, Hauck hopes people consider adopting instead of purchasing new from a pet store or breeder, which she says can also add to the issues they are seeing.
“We’re feeling pretty overwhelmed this year. So we definitely need some public support to get the word out there about these dogs.”
People interested in adopting a dog can find listings for available pets and adoption applications on the Precious Paws Rescue website.