Officials cautioned Friday that there is a significant shortage of dog kennel space at the Troutdale animal shelter in Multnomah County.
A surge of strays and dog owners surrendering their pets has put the shelter in a difficult situation, according to Animal Services Director Erin Grahek. According to her, some canines are being kept in staff offices as kennels fill up.
At a press conference on Friday, Grahek stated, “I can tell you, it’s a lot.” We need people to come out and adopt pets this weekend because we simply cannot keep up with the intake at this time.
For the remainder of the month, the county has reduced dog adoption fees to $25. To ease the burden on capacity, Grahek urged people to come to the shelter this weekend and adopt a dog.
The institution is the only countywide public shelter that takes all animals. The shelter will continue to take in dogs who are brought in as strays or surrendered for the time being, according to spokeswoman Alicia Mendez. However, she noted that it will be challenging to find room for additional canines unless circumstances change.
If it is safe to do so, officials are urging anyone who finds a lost or stray dog to think about temporarily adopting it. Authorities are advising people to look for the pet’s owner before bringing them to the county facility because many lost pets are discovered nearby.
This is the biggest increase in dog arrivals at the shelter since 2012, according to Grahek. According to officials, the county adopted out 234 dogs and brought in 268 pets in just the past month. Although Grahek noted that almost all of the shelter’s 85 kennels are now filled, the shelter works with foster volunteers and other animal organizations to limit capacity.
In order to consider alternate choices, Grahek advised anyone who could be giving up their pet because of financial difficulties or another emergency to give the shelter a call first.
“We struggle to figure out how to take in that lost or stray animal when our kennel capacity is tight,” Grahek added. We find it difficult to respond appropriately to pets that pose a risk to public safety.
After workers and volunteers voiced concerns about the shelter’s circumstances, the county’s troubled animal shelter undertook a nine-month study of the division, which resulted in more than 100 recommendations for change. The division frequently failed to satisfy national standards for cleaning kennels and feeding animals, according to audits conducted in 2016 and 2018. Although the shelter has improved since then, auditors discovered this month that more needed to be done to fulfill the requirements of both personnel and animals.
The last time the shelter was overcrowded was in 2023, when a surge in pet adoption and a lack of staff made it challenging to give its animals the basic care they needed. The facility is too tiny, according to officials, and the county is already working out the specifics of a potential shelter renovation that could cost up to $85 million.
Austin De Dios reports on programs, politics, and other topics in Multnomah County. You can reach him at @AustinDeDios, [email protected], or 503-319-9744.
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