An overwhelming number of homeless dogs is putting extreme pressure on animal shelters in New Jersey. At least one facility is not accepting any dogs at all because of overcrowding.
And, there appears to be a link to the COVID-19 pandemic.
When Morgan Eveland, of National Park, saw the adoption listing for a 3-year-old pit bull mix named Millie, she knew the pup would be a perfect fit for her family.
"We decided to foster and then we came in to pick her up as an official adoption," Eveland told NBC10.
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The South Jersey Regional Animal Shelter in Vineland desperately needs more people to do the same.
"We are at a critical status," Jessica Morrison of the shelter said. "We're having to make life and death decisions on a regular basis."
For more than a year, the staff has tried to keep up with an unprecedented number of dogs in need of new homes.
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The facility is about 140% over capacity. The total number of dogs that came in last year was up by more than 800 compared to 2022.
"In my past ten years here, this is the worst that I've ever seen it as far as the increase in numbers," Morrison said.
The shelter is hosting what they call "Fur the Weekend Getaway" and making adoptions for dogs over 6 months just $14 until Valentine's Day.
"We're having to help animals in untraditional ways by utilizing our office spaces when we need to," Morrison explained.
Meanwhile, for weeks, the Toms River Animal Shelter has not accepted any new dogs.
Instead of going to the Toms River shelter, some pets have ended up in Ocean County's two facilities instead.
"We're less than 50% of our capacity where we can handle right now," Ocean County Health Department officer Daniel Regenye said. "With the numbers coming in right now, we can certainly accommodate the animals coming to us."
Staffers say there's a common thread among many of the dogs coming in.
A significant number of people who adopted pets during the pandemic are now saying they're unable to keep them, staffers said.
"The economy plays a role in this," Morrison said. "There's so many people contacting us because they cannot find affordable pet-friendly housing."
For those in Camden County, The Homeward Bound Pet Adoption Center is offering reduced adoption fees for all dogs and cats now through Valentine's Day at just $5.
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