Santa Maria Animal Center running out of kennel space, urgent need for foster families

SANTA MARIA, Calif. -- The Santa Maria Animal Center is receiving so many dogs each day, its causing the facility to run out of kennel space.

Currently, the shelter is averaging about 14 dogs brought to the facility each day, while having only five-to-six adoptions on a daily basis.

"We are sitting right at full, so every time a pet goes to a home, another pet comes in and so we're just sitting right at that full spot," said Sarah Aguilar, Animal Services Director. "For the last week, we've been between 102 and 110 dogs in care, and really we are much more comfortable around 90."

According to Aguilar, the number of dogs at the shelter has increased over the past few months as many in the community struggle with a number of financial issues.

"We are having pet parents who are experiencing maybe their first medical bill, or maybe they lost their job, or cost of living is too high," said Aguilar. "Pets are being brought into the shelter that are in need in numbers that we haven't seen in quite some time."

With the amount of room available in the shelter shrinking, alternate locations for temporary housing are being considered, including staff offices.

"We were pretty close to having to do that," said Aguilar. "But we had a really good turnout on Saturday and support from the community that brought us back down to a little closer to where we like to be."

To help alleviate the shortage of room, Santa Barbara County Animal Services, which operates the center, is asking for more support from the public. It is asking those who can to consider fostering a dog for a period of time.

"Anything that anyone can do just to get these dogs out," said Kenna Pearce, who is currently fostering a dog. "They're all great dogs and just want a loving family."

Aguilar added that fostering a dog is beneficial to the animal in many ways.

"It's more comfortable," said Aguilar. "They have more space. Even if a foster animal is kept in a spare bedroom or in a crate while you are at work, they ultimately throughout the day have more space, more interaction, less stress, more comfort than being housed in the shelter."

Anyone interested in fostering a dog can look for more information by clicking here.