Can California’s Animal Shelters Support Pets and Their People?

KQED's Forum

KQED

News, Politics, News Commentary

4.2 • 726 Ratings

🗓️ 29 November 2023

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

California’s stray animals face a slew of challenges that might sound familiar to human residents of the state: a lack of affordable housing, prohibitive health care costs, and a shortage of service providers. Animal shelters that emptied during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic have since refilled, and placing those animals in homes can be a struggle. We speak with a veterinarian and two shelter administrators about how they’re adapting to the volume of animals – and people – in need of their services, and how community supporters can help. We’ll also hear from a journalist covering animal welfare at the national level, and from you: Have you tried to adopt, or rehome, a pet? What was your experience? Guests: Ann Dunn, director, Oakland Animal Services Cynthia Karsten, director of outreach and shelter medicine, University of California-Davis Kenny Torrella, staff writer, Vox Sarah Aguilar, director, Santa Barbara County Animal Services Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:32.2	From KQED in San Francisco, this is Forum.
0:51.9	I'm Mina Kim.
0:53.5	Animal shelters that emptied in California in the early
0:56.4	days of the pandemic are full again. And this hour, we learn why. Many blame high pet care and veterinary care
1:02.9	costs. Others blame the popularity of designer dog breeds online. So others point a finger at California's
1:09.0	housing affordability crisis, leading to high eviction and unhoused rates.
1:14.1	The economic trends that affect people affect their pets, say advocates.
1:18.0	And some shelters are trying to help both the animals and their humans.
1:22.1	We learn how after this news.
1:37.5	Music after this news. Welcome to Forum. I'm Nina Kim.
1:40.4	Pandemic isolation or remote work led many Californians to adopt animals from shelters at record rates a few years ago.
1:48.0	But as the world opened up again, that changed, and many shelters are full of animals, picked up as strays or surrendered by their owners.
1:57.0	And as Kenny Torella of Vox points out, it's one thing for for Peloton bikes to pile up in some warehouse as Americans return to normalcy.
	...

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