The Capital Humane Society has reduced adoption fees by 50% through Sunday in order to encourage adoptions after the organization received an unexpected number of animals earlier this week.
As of Tuesday morning, their facilities were at 100% capacity.
Typically, the humane society considers offering a promotion to encourage adoptions when they reach 75% capacity.
The deal has been offered once or multiple times a month in the past.
In this case, 29 animals were dropped off Monday and the humane society was unexpectedly at 100% capacity by Tuesday.
The Capital Humane Society has reduced adoption fees by 50% through Sunday in order to encourage adoptions after the facility received an unexpected number of animals earlier this week.
While Tuesday and Wednesday tend to be slower days, Capital Humane Society executive director Matt Madcharo said 17 dogs were adopted on Tuesday and 14 on Wednesday. This has brought the Admissions and Assessment Center down to 77% capacity, but to hit the goal of having both adoption locations be under 75% by Monday, they would need about 25 more dogs adopted this weekend.
People are also reading…
“What these adoption promotions are is, ultimately, they’re Band-Aids,†Madcharo said. “They are to get us to the next day; they are to get us to the next week.â€
Madcharo said the humane society has seen a massive uptick in intake since 2022 and has tried to mitigate the issue through these promotions, but he said the promotions won't solve the underlying issue.
“The only way this is ever going to get solved is to get more pets spayed and neutered in the community,†he said.
Along with this promotion, Madcharo said the humane society has worked to provide affordable veterinary services at Stransky Veterinary Center, which opened March 11. The center provides spay and neuter services, preventative and dental care, vaccines, deworming and microchipping. Within nine weeks, they have cared for more than 800 pets.
Stransky Veterinary Center offers services within two price structures: One for the general public and one for people receiving government assistance, who qualify for lower prices. If those prices are still unaffordable, Lincoln Animal Control and Lincoln Animal Ambassadors offer vouchers for people who qualify.
Madcharo said the humane society also offers pet food, supplies and vouchers for other pet expenses through their .
Matt Madcharo, director of Capital Humane Society.
If someone is unable to adopt a pet, Madcharo said another way to help solve this issue would be to foster. The humane society provides all food, supplies and veterinary care for fostered pets.
“Adopting gets the pet out of the shelter,†he said. “But fostering does the same thing and you don't have to commit to a lifetime of caring for that pet.â€
While the humane society is at 100% capacity, they will not be taking in more dogs unless there are emergency situations. People with dogs they intend to rehome will be directed to use pet adoption websites.
The Capital Humane Society has reduced adoption fees by 50% through Sunday in order to encourage adoption. They received an unexpected number of animals on Monday and by Tuesday morning, they were at 100% capacity. Ìý
The Adoption Center is also at 100% capacity for cats, but the Admissions and Assessment Center is not. Cats and other animals are still welcome to be taken to the center. The waitlist for dogs to be taken is at 12.
At the Admissions and Assessment Center, animals are assessed by veterinary and behavioral staff before being placed in the Adoption Center. While the Adoption Center is full, animals stay at the Admissions and Assessment Center and prospective owners have to make appointments to meet them due to a lack of space for interaction.
“We have contracts with the City of Lincoln and Sheriff's Department in Lancaster County, so we have to have available dog kennels for any dogs that either of those agencies bring to us,†Madcharo said. “And so even though there's 15 available dog kennels today, we're not ready to open up to surrenders until we have more space.â€
Community members can also help by volunteering, donating or spreading awareness about the importance of spaying and neutering pets.
Madcharo’s theory on the overcrowding of shelters is mainly based on the increase of breeding in recent years. Before 2020, he said some people would complain about there not being enough dogs in the shelter. Then, people began breeding more dogs.
When the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, Madcharo said even more people wanted to adopt, but it was more difficult to adopt through shelters or get veterinary services due to COVID-19 safety guidelines and places closing their doors. Because of this, fewer pets were spayed and neutered, so the supply became too high for the demand.
Since the pandemic has slowed and people returned to work, Madcharo said pet owners have had less time at home and veterinary costs have increased, so owning pets has become more difficult to afford.
“This isn't just an issue here in Lincoln,†he said. “This is an issue that's going on around the nation.â€
Madcharo urges prospective pet owners to return to the shelter if they haven’t found the pet they want, as there are new animals put up for adoption every day.
“In person, you can see their personalities right then and there, whereas a picture on a website doesn't always do them justice,†he said.
