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South C a r o l i n a ’s Shelters Are in Crisis! W R I T T E N BY H A L I S E L E RT, Staff Writer
If you didn’t know, now you do – South Carolina’s shelters and rescues are in a time of crisis. Adoptions and donations are lower than they have been in years, and surrenders are at an all time high. Shelters in neighboring states have started euthanizing owner surrenders upon intake based on the simple fact that animals are coming in much faster than they’re going out, and there isn’t enough room to house the ones that need sanctuary. To top it off, neglect and abuse cases are also on the rise. Add in the fact that animal welfare workers are leaving the field at astronomical rates, and it is a clear recipe for disaster. The only way to describe the situation shelters and rescues are in, is that of crisis. We spoke with representatives of several shelters across the state to get a boots on the ground take of what is going on currently. Bobbie Comer with York County Animal Shelter, Hannah Buccini with Lancaster County Animal Shelter, and Kimberly Bartlett Coulter with A Second Chance Animal Shelter in Manning all weighed in on the climate of animal welfare. These women didn’t get to consult with one another, but the similarity in their answers is astounding. Their sobering thoughts are outlined below. Q: How would you summarize the situation your shelter is currently in? York: “We are facing the most challenging time
in recent history for shelters. For the first time in years, the number of pets entering the shelter exceeds those leaving.“ Lancaster: “The shelter is struggling badly. As soon as one dog leaves, another takes its place. Many of the animals coming in are emaciated, heartworm positive and now that it’s summer time the animals are coming in loaded with fleas and ticks. We are struggling to keep up with the intake levels. Our rescue partners are struggling, adoptions are low, transports north are slowing down. We don’t have enough people stepping up and saying YES I will foster that dog so a rescue can help.” Manning: “In the three years I have worked at ASCAS, this is the worst I have ever seen it. We currently house 85 dogs which is the max that we can shelter at one time. We do not have any open pens anywhere on our property. We get so many calls daily to take in dogs and we have to turn them down and put them on a waiting list. This is very worrisome because we don’t know what is going to happen to all these animals we have to turn away. Are they going to be just turned loose, dumped on a dirt road or worse? Dogs are barely trickling out to rescue and our adoptions have all but stopped and as soon as we get one out the space is filled right back up again within hours. Due to COVID, our spay and neuter clinic has not
