The San Diego Humane Society transported hundreds of small pets in their care to shelters in Arizona to help alleviate the pressure on their shelters while trying to give pets a chance at finding a home.
A total of 318 rabbits, Guinea pigs, rats and hamsters were transferred out of state to the Humane Society of Southern Arizona.
"These small pets are headed to Tuscan to hopefully find new families. We have so many small pets at the San Diego Humane Society, pets in general, and to give them a better chance of finding a family, they will be going to the Humane Society of Southern Arizona," said Nina Thompson with the San Diego Humane Society. "In Arizona, they don't have as much as small pets and they will also work with their local rescue partners to place them into families."
This mass transport, which is the largest in San Diego Humane Society's history, will alleviate some of the pressure on the shelters, the humane society said. Last month, the humane society set a new record with more than 2,584 pets in their care. As of today, they are still at 175% capacity for dogs and 176% capacity for cats, Thompson said.
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“It’s been a tough year for us. We think there are many different reasons as to why we have an increase in pets,” said Nina Thompson with the San Diego Humane Society. “There was a pause in spay & neuter services during the pandemic that could be attributed to this [increase] but there are also a lot of people that are moving and can’t bring their pets with them and also the economy.”
The humane society is also planning to bring back a 9-year-old dog named Bulma from Arizona as the humane society said they hope Bulma will benefit from their specialized care.
The humane society has reached a critical level with their pets in care and is asking the community for help in fostering animals. For more details on fostering, click here.
For more information, visit NBC7.com/ClearTheShelters and T20.com/DesocuparLosAlbergues. Follow the latest updates on social media @NBCSanDiego and @Telemundo20 using #ClearTheShelters and #DesocuparLosAlbergues.
