Humane Society of Utah makes adoption plea after shelter fills with dogs


2 photos
Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

MURRAY — The Humane Society of Utah is asking for help from the community after finding its kennels so full that the group is struggling to take in any more dogs.

Barks and howls filled the halls Wednesday, as friendly, furry faces filled every single kennel at the Humane Society's Murray shelter. It wasn't this full last week.

"We're seeing a lot of large breed dogs, so dogs typically over 45/50 pounds," said Guinnevere Shuster, director of marketing and communications at the Humane Society of Utah.

The society is full with dogs, Shuster explained, after nearly 60 large-breed dogs and puppies showed up at its facility in the last five days — raising the total number of dogs in its care to 80.

The No. 1 reason they're seeing such a huge influx? Owner surrenders because of housing insecurity, Shuster said.

"I think a lot, unfortunately, comes down to people being able to afford their pets right now or being able to even find affordable housing that allows large breed dogs," she said.

The organization hasn't been able to transfer in any dogs from other shelters, Shuster indicated, because of the increase. Normally, the Humane Society of Utah receives a lot of dogs through its transfer program. Shuster said they're usually able to take in dogs from shelters throughout Utah, including from rural areas that may not see many people adopting.

"Unfortunately, when our kennels are full, our first responsibility is to the community and to the individuals who need our help," Shuster said.

Humane Society employees are trying to work with people who need to surrender a dog. Shuster explained that if someone has an appointment they will call and ask them to hold the dog for another week to prevent overcrowding at the Humane Society of Utah.

Dogs not able to be housed at their shelter are taken to foster homes.

Katie Knighton holds 8-week-old Hazelnut at The Humane Society of Utah in Murray, Wednesday.
Katie Knighton holds 8-week-old Hazelnut at The Humane Society of Utah in Murray, Wednesday. (Photo: Lauren Steinbrecher, KSL-TV)

On Wednesday afternoon, Katie Knighton walked in the front doors to look at a large dog named Simba. After realizing he was too big for her household, she spotted Hazelnut, an 8-week-old puppy, that she had seen on the Humane Society of Utah's social media pages.

Knighton requested to do a meet and greet with Hazelnut. The delicate pup shivered and curled up as Knighton held her.

"She's just wrapped up in my arms," Knighton said, gently petting Hazelnut's back.

Shuster is hoping more people like Knighton will come in and fall in love with pups like Hazelnut.

"This is the one," Knighton said, with the small furball cradled in her arms. "She's it. We've got two other dogs, so she'll fit in great with them."

The Humane Society of Utah, located at 4242 S. 300 West, is running an adoption special this weekend for large-breed dogs. Shuster said all dogs weighing 50 pounds or more will have their adoption fees cut by 50%. The event takes place Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Photos

Related stories

Most recent Utah stories

Related topics

UtahSalt Lake County
Lauren Steinbrecher
Lauren Steinbrecher is an Emmy award-winning reporter and multimedia journalist who joined KSL in December 2021.

STAY IN THE KNOW

Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Subscribe to the KSL.com Trending 5.
By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

KSL Weather Forecast