Miami-Dade Animal Services makes urgent plea to help medium and large shelter dogs

Miami-Dade County Animal Services (Animal Services) is making an urgent plea to all families that can adopt and foster to please help our community’s medium and large shelter dogs. 

Animal Services is currently operating at 189% capacity for dogs and 153% capacity for cats. These animals are either not being adopted or are staying too long at the shelter, and because the shelter is already operating over capacity, it puts shelter animals at risk of contracting infectious diseases, creating an urgent need to get pets into permanent or temporary homes and reduce the pet overpopulation. 

“Overcrowded animal shelters across the country have been experiencing outbreaks of infectious diseases as a direct result of having to operate over capacity for the past year or so,” said Annette Jose, Miami-Dade County Animal Services Director.  “We are doing everything we can to proactively manage the risk of infectious diseases to our pets. However, we desperately and urgently need the community to help save lives by adopting or fostering.”

To help manage the pet population and prevent the spread of contagious disease, Animal Services is:
•    Limiting its dog intake to stray animals through July 15, 2024
•    Conducting daily deep cleanings of dog kennels
•    Beginning July 6, 2024, the Medley overflow shelter will be open for adoptions every Saturday and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. 
•    Waiving adoption fees for all dogs four months and older through July 2024
•    Waiving return to owner fees for anyone picking up their lost dog through July 15, 2024, though applicable licensing fees still apply
•    Urging the community to adopt or temporarily foster a medium or large dog in hopes of getting at least 100 dogs out of the shelter as soon as possible

Help lost pets find their way home:
With the shelter already overcapacity, the last thing to do is take found pets to the shelter. National research indicates that keeping a dog in the neighborhood where they are found gives them the best chance or finding their way back home and being reunited with their families.  

As cited by Maddie’s Fund and America Pets Alive!’s Human Animal Support Services Project 
•    more than 70% of pets are found within one mile of their home
•    83% of pets kept close to where they were found are reunited with their families within 72 hours 

Therefore, Animal Services asks the public not to bring found dogs to the shelter and encourages anyone who finds a lost pet to help them find their family by keeping them in the neighborhood. Animal Services will help residents by providing any needed supplies to help resident care for the dog while we actively work together to find their family.  To increase the chances of finding the dogs family, residents should also: 
•    take a good photo of the dog and report the found pet at MiamiDade.gov/Animals so that if the owner is looking for their pet we can tell where they are  
•    walk the dog throughout the neighborhood 
•    canvas the neighbors to see if anyone recognizes the pet and knows where they live 
•    put up flyers that include a good photo of the pet and a contact number
•    post the pet on your social media asking others to share and help you find their family  

Residents should also use online resources and apps like: 
•    Petco Love Lost 
•    Pawboost 
•    Nextdoor
•    Neighbors and others

Prevent pets from getting lost: 
The best things that pet owners can do to prevent their pets from getting lost and ensure that pets are quickly returned home are as follows:
•    make sure pets are always wearing their collar with ID tags that include the owners current contact information
•    microchip pets and make sure to register your information with the microchip company and always keep the contact information up to date 
•    spay/neuter pets to reduce their instinct to wander off looking to find a mate in heat 

For more information about programs serving Miami-Dade County’s pets and pet owners at Miami-Dade County Animal Services Department’s visit www.miamidade.gov/animals, call 311, or follow Animal Services on social media @adoptmiamipets.

About Miami-Dade County Animal Services 
Every year Miami-Dade County Animal Services Department (Animal Services) takes in approximately 30,000 to 36,000 lost, abandoned, injured, ill, or abused 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.