Pets surrendered to Erie-area shelters are paying the price for inflated costs

Editor's note: This story has been updated with more information about local resources available to owners struggling to keep their pets.

Pet adoptions soared in the early months of the pandemic when adults and students working remotely were home to train, acclimate and appreciate a new dog or cat.

People are still adopting pets, but pets also are being surrendered to shelters as people return to work and cope with rising prices for everything from pet food to gasoline.

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"The reasons we're hearing is that people don't have time for a pet anymore, can't afford it, or need to get a second job," said Ruth Thompson, founder and managing director of the A.N.N.A. Shelter.

The shelter, at 1555 E. 10th St. in Erie, has been getting 15 to 20 calls a day from owners inquiring about surrendering their pets, Thompson said, and is taking in about 40 animals each week.

Rising costs are causing most of the surrenders, said Nicole Leone, executive director of the Erie Humane Society at 2433 Zimmerly Road. The shelter has taken in 130 animals since January, a 15% increase, Leone said.

"From what we're seeing, it's not because people have gone back to work in the office, but because they are economically struggling," Leone said. "We've had a huge influx of animals from people who say that they can't afford vet care and pet food and that they are having a hard time even affording food for themselves."

Recent surrenders included a Cane Corso weighing just 57 pounds.

"That's very, very thin for that kind of dog," Leone said. "The family could not afford to care for it."

Rising costs fuel 'difficult choices'

Retail pet food prices have increased 5.4% since December 2019, according to tracking by Pet Age, a pet industry magazine.

Rising costs have also increased prices for veterinary care. Glenwood Pet Hospital in Millcreek emailed customers in June to say that it delayed raising prices for many months but can no longer absorb all of the increased costs.

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"As we are sure you are aware, the market is ever-changing, and these changes have caused price increases in cost of goods, staffing, and maintaining the high quality care we provide our patients," Glenwood said in the email. "The never-ending wave of inflation has hit us, too, forcing us to raise our prices."

The increased cost of pet care hasn't happened in a vacuum. Pet owners, like others, are paying more for just about everything, including groceries and gasoline.

At-home food, or grocery, prices increased by more than 12% in the 12 months ended in June, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. It was the largest 12-month increase since April 1979.

Gasoline prices rose by almost 60%, the largest 12-month increase since March 1980.

"Unfortunately, we are hearing that with inflation being so high families are having to make difficult choices," Leone, of the Humane Society, said.

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Animal shelters' costs are also rising

Shelters continue to accept pets that their owners cannot keep and are coping with higher costs to care for them.

"The cost for the (food) we usually buy has gone up at least 5%," Leone said. "For a small nonprofit, that's a lot."

Utility and medication costs are also up.

"The biggest expense we have is medication, for everything from upper respiratory infections to skin infections to extraneous surgeries," said Thompson, of the A.N.N.A. Shelter. "It's so expensive, and with the amounts we have to buy, it's hard."

Shelters additionally have had trouble obtaining some foods at times because of supply chain disruptions, said Megan Duckett, executive director of Because You Care in McKean Township.

"Canned food was difficult to get for a while when there was a shortage," Duckett said. "That was rough, especially for our kittens."

Supporters help all three shelters by donating pet food in spite of rising costs.

"We're blessed with community support and blessed with food that the community provides," Thompson said.

And while pet surrenders have increased, community support has increased too, Duckett said.

"People have been so generous," she said. "We've seen a huge increase in people donating supplies this year."

Helping owners find alternatives to surrendering pets

Shelters work with owners considering surrendering a pet to help them find less expensive food and care, including care at shelter-operated clinics and wellness centers. Shelters even have donated or found donors to provide pet food to families in need.

"(Erie Humane Society) is here to be a resource and work with families to keep their pets in their homes," Leone said.

"If the time they can give to a pet is the issue, we try to suggest doggy day care and other things they can do to keep their pet," Thompson said.

Erie Animal Network, at 1158 W. 26th St., operates a Pet Food Bank on alternate Saturdays. The nonprofit organization accepts donated food and distributes it to owners who are struggling.

The organization also offers grants to help cover the cost of some pet care. Visit erieanimalnetwork.com for more information.

Owners who cannot keep their pets are doing the right thing by surrendering them to a shelter that will care for them until they find new homes, shelter directors said.

"If someone absolutely doesn't have a way to keep their pet, we will always find a way to take them here or in foster care," Leone said.

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Shelters continue to accept pets

The A.N.N.A. Shelter and Because You Care also continue to accept surrendered pets and strays.

"We will manage and make do somehow," Duckett said. "We always do."

"I'm a one day at a time, one animal at a time kind of girl," Thompson said. The A.N.N.A. Shelter houses an average of 70 dogs and 130 cats at a time. "We say, 'Let's make this happen,' and it does."

And in spite of the economy, people still are adopting pets, including older cats and dogs, Duckett said.

"A lot of people specifically look for older animals to adopt to give them a good last few years of life."

Contact Valerie Myers at vmyers@timesnews.com. Follow her on Twitter @ETNmyers.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Pets are being surrendered to Erie shelters as care costs rise