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          Home > Releases > Miami-Dade Animal Services implements emergency measures to address shelter overpopulation
          Press Release
          Media Contact
          • Gabriella Dominguez
          • [email protected]
          • 305-418-7194

          Miami-Dade Animal Services implements emergency measures to address shelter overpopulation

          Press Release department /global/animals/home.page 2023-12-01 2023-12-01T21:00:00.000Z 04 00 pm Gabriella Dominguez [email protected] 305-418-7194 Miami-Dade Animal Services implements emergency measures to address shelter overpopulation Miami-Dade County Animal Services Department (Animal Services) is currently facing an overpopulation crisis, with more than 800 pets in the shelter, exceeding the capacity to house around 400 animals. In order to prioritize the well-being of their sheltered pets, Animal Services is temporarily suspending the intake of pet surrenders and healthy stray animals effective Friday, December 1st until further notice. <p>Miami-Dade County Animal Services Department (Animal Services) is currently facing an overpopulation crisis, with more than 800 pets in the shelter, exceeding the capacity to house around 400 animals. In order to prioritize the well-being of their sheltered pets, Animal Services is temporarily suspending the intake of pet surrenders and healthy stray animals effective Friday, December 1st until further notice.&nbsp;</p> <p>"To ensure optimal care for the existing 800 dogs and to address the needs of animals suffering from injury, abuse, or neglect, Animal Services will cease accepting pet surrenders or healthy stray animals,&rdquo; stated Annette Jose, Director for Miami-Dade County Animal Services, highlighting the urgency. &ldquo;The national overpopulation situation is dire, and unfortunately, our shelter is not an exception. We ask the community to join us in managing this crisis by providing caring homes for our pets. If you&rsquo;ve been contemplating adoption, now is the time. Additionally, if you can offer temporary shelter as a foster family, we urge you to step forward today.&rdquo;&nbsp;</p> <p>Animal Services, facing a crisis akin to numerous shelters nationwide, has initiated an emergency temporary suspension of pet intakes effective December 1 until the overpopulation decreases. This decision is in response to the shelter's dog population surpassing the available housing units. All other services will continue to operate without interruption.</p> <p>While the Pet Adoption and Protection Center will suspend intake services, it will remain accessible to the public for all other services, including basic veterinary care, adoptions, lost and found, spay/neuter services, etc. Animal Services&rsquo; animal welfare officers will continue responding to community calls concerning public safety, injured animals, and animal abuse concerns. &nbsp;Additionally, if a pet owner is experiencing a hardship maintaining their pet at home, please contact [email protected] for assistance with food, litter and other resources.</p> <p>With over 800 dogs currently available for adoption, Animal Services is urgently seeking adopters and fosters willing to open their homes and hearts to shelter pets, particularly medium and large-sized dogs.</p> <p>Aligned with the Department&rsquo;s dedication to providing exceptional care and support to the pet community, this emergency measure will remain in effect until the animal population aligns with the shelter's capacity for care. Adhering to the County&rsquo;s life-saving mission, animals will not be euthanized to create space.</p> <p>There are numerous dogs and cats, all seeking loving homes, and adoption fees are being waived for pets 4 months and older through December. You can support shelter pets by:<br />&middot; &nbsp; &nbsp;Adopting or fostering a pet, which significantly eases the shelter's crowding.<br />&middot; &nbsp; &nbsp;Volunteering to provide enrichment, walk dogs, and enhance the quality of life for shelter pets.&nbsp;</p> <p>No act of kindness is too small to help our deserving dogs.&nbsp;</p> <p>About Miami-Dade County Animal Services&nbsp;<br />Every year Miami-Dade County Animal Services Department (Animal Services) provides care and refuge for 28,000 to 30,000 lost and abandoned dogs and cats. Every day, Animal Services staff works diligently to find life-long homes for these abandoned animals by facilitating onsite adoptions, hosting offsite adoptions at events and locations throughout the community, and working collaboratively with rescue organizations, volunteers and adoption partners. For more information visit, www.miamidade.gov/animals and/or follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @adoptmiamipets.</p> no 2023 00 a.m. 00 a.m. Animal Services 1 rel1701462086336236 Animal Services Pet Adoption and Protection Center 3599 NW 79 Avenue Doral 33122 Luis Salgado [email protected] 305-418-7162 local county miami-dade department department Animal ServicesASD Contact Us /global/animals/contact.page About Us /global/animals/about.page /global/publicrecords/search.page Miami-Dade County Animal Services Department Protecting the public's safety, saving animals and finding pets new, loving homes. <p>Our mission is to save the lives of abandoned animals in our care, protect animals from cruelty, reunite lost pets with their owners, protect people and pets in our community from health-related issues and ensure the public's safety.</p> <p>Our goals are accomplished through comprehensive adoptions, transfers, low-cost pet vaccination, dog licensing, increased sterilization for dogs and cats, commercial pet regulations, reuniting lost pets with their owners and trap, neuter, return programs for cats.</p> <p>Aside from our lifesaving mission, we also enforce <a href="https://library.municode.com/fl/miami_-_dade_county/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTIIICOOR_CH5ANFO" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chapter 5</a> of the Miami-Dade County Code and Florida Statute 828 (which deals primarily with animal cruelty issues).</p> <p>Our activities include licensing, enforcing rabies vaccination requirements, spay and neuter services, vaccination services for pets, protecting the public from stray and dangerous dogs, promoting animal adoption and public education, and investigating animal cruelty cases.</p> <p><strong>Lifesaving Mission</strong></p> <p>In 2015, Miami-Dade County Animal Services first achieved its lifesaving goal of saving greater than 90 percent of animals entering the shelter. This is a testament to the incredible hard work of the shelter team every day and the addition of new lifesaving programs to include partnerships with rescue organizations, improved pet welfare, foster programs, offsite adoption events, surrender prevention and more.</p> <p><strong>Animal Statistics</strong></p> <p>The Miami-Dade Animal Services Department encourages the public to view our annual animal statistics information, which shows shelter population based on the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.shelteranimalscount.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Asilomar Accords</a> and other methods for calculating the number of animal lives that are saved.</p> <p>In August 2004, a group of animal welfare industry leaders from around the nation convened at Asilomar in Pacific Grove, California to build bridges across varying philosophies, develop relationships and establish goals focused on reducing the euthanasia of healthy and treatable companion animals in the United States. The Asilomar Accords established record-keeping and reporting standards for data associated with shelter animals. To help increase life-saving opportunities, Miami-Dade Animal Services has created a variety of&nbsp;new programs aimed at achieving the highest save rates in the history of the department.</p> <ul> <li><a href="http://miamidade.gov/animals/library/2024-assilomar-save-rate.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2024 Shelter Stats</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.miamidade.gov/animals/library/2023-assilomar-save-rate.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2023 Shelter Stats</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.miamidade.gov/animals/library/2022-assilomar-save-rate.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 Shelter Stats</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.miamidade.gov/animals/library/2021-assilomar-save-rate.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2021 Shelter Stats</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.miamidade.gov/animals/library/2020-assilomar-save-rate.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2020 Shelter Stats</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.miamidade.gov/animals/library/2019-assilomar-save-rate.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2019 Shelter Stats</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.miamidade.gov/animals/library/2018-assilomar-save-rate.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2018 Shelter Stats</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.miamidade.gov/animals/library/2017-assilomar-save-rate.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2017 Shelter Stats</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.miamidade.gov/animals/library/2016-assilomar-save-rate.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2016 Shelter Stats</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.miamidade.gov/animals/library/2015-assilomar-save-rate.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2015 Shelter Stats</a></li> </ul> /resources/images/banners/animal-services.jpg Director Annette Jose Annette Jose /global/government/biographies/animals.page Pet Adoption and Protection Center - 3599 NW 79 Avenue [loc146470117318693] : Doral ^ 33122 loc146470117318693 311 /global/animals/home.page facebook twitter instagram <a class="twitter-timeline" href="https://twitter.com/PetsToLove" data-widget-id="730459858286350336" data-chrome="noheader noborders">Tweets by @PetsToLove</a> <script>!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+"://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");</script> <p>To request materials in an accessible format, or if you require special accomodations, please contact our ADA Coordinator:</p> Luis Salgado [email protected] 305-418-7162 animal-services org1450714342984597 loc146470117318693 Pet Adoption and Protection Center 3599 NW 79 Avenue Doral 33122 311 /global/animals/home.page facebook,twitter,instagram https://www.facebook.com/AdoptMiamiPets,https://twitter.com/AdoptMiamiPets,https://www.instagram.com/adoptmiamipets/
          MIAMI-DADE ( December 01, 2023 )–

          Miami-Dade County Animal Services Department (Animal Services) is currently facing an overpopulation crisis, with more than 800 pets in the shelter, exceeding the capacity to house around 400 animals. In order to prioritize the well-being of their sheltered pets, Animal Services is temporarily suspending the intake of pet surrenders and healthy stray animals effective Friday, December 1st until further notice. 

          "To ensure optimal care for the existing 800 dogs and to address the needs of animals suffering from injury, abuse, or neglect, Animal Services will cease accepting pet surrenders or healthy stray animals,” stated Annette Jose, Director for Miami-Dade County Animal Services, highlighting the urgency. “The national overpopulation situation is dire, and unfortunately, our shelter is not an exception. We ask the community to join us in managing this crisis by providing caring homes for our pets. If you’ve been contemplating adoption, now is the time. Additionally, if you can offer temporary shelter as a foster family, we urge you to step forward today.” 

          Animal Services, facing a crisis akin to numerous shelters nationwide, has initiated an emergency temporary suspension of pet intakes effective December 1 until the overpopulation decreases. This decision is in response to the shelter's dog population surpassing the available housing units. All other services will continue to operate without interruption.

          While the Pet Adoption and Protection Center will suspend intake services, it will remain accessible to the public for all other services, including basic veterinary care, adoptions, lost and found, spay/neuter services, etc. Animal Services’ animal welfare officers will continue responding to community calls concerning public safety, injured animals, and animal abuse concerns.  Additionally, if a pet owner is experiencing a hardship maintaining their pet at home, please contact [email protected] for assistance with food, litter and other resources.

          With over 800 dogs currently available for adoption, Animal Services is urgently seeking adopters and fosters willing to open their homes and hearts to shelter pets, particularly medium and large-sized dogs.

          Aligned with the Department’s dedication to providing exceptional care and support to the pet community, this emergency measure will remain in effect until the animal population aligns with the shelter's capacity for care. Adhering to the County’s life-saving mission, animals will not be euthanized to create space.

          There are numerous dogs and cats, all seeking loving homes, and adoption fees are being waived for pets 4 months and older through December. You can support shelter pets by:
          ·    Adopting or fostering a pet, which significantly eases the shelter's crowding.
          ·    Volunteering to provide enrichment, walk dogs, and enhance the quality of life for shelter pets. 

          No act of kindness is too small to help our deserving dogs. 

          About Miami-Dade County Animal Services 
          Every year Miami-Dade County Animal Services Department (Animal Services) provides care and refuge for 28,000 to 30,000 lost and abandoned dogs and cats. Every day, Animal Services staff works diligently to find life-long homes for these abandoned animals by facilitating onsite adoptions, hosting offsite adoptions at events and locations throughout the community, and working collaboratively with rescue organizations, volunteers and adoption partners. For more information visit, www.miamidade.gov/animals and/or follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @adoptmiamipets.

          # # #

          To request materials in accessible format, sign language interpreters, and/or any accommodation to participate in any County-sponsored program or meeting, please contact the ADA Coordinator, five days in advance to initiate your request. TTY users may also call 711 (Florida Relay Service).

          Annette Jose, Animal Services

          Pet Adoption and Protection Center
          3599 NW 79 Avenue, Doral, FL 33122

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