In Beaufort County, S.C., the animal services team is grappling with a steady stream of calls from pet owners looking to surrender their animals, even though their facility is already at maximum capacity.

Other shelters in the area have said they are also overwhelmed, and without help from the community, they fear it will only get worse from here.

Lynzie Moore, a dispatcher for the county’s animal services, mentioned that this season traditionally sees high activity levels at the shelter. However, the volume of animals being surrendered this year is unprecedented and overwhelming for the staff.

“We’re kind of a revolving door of dogs, but we get to a point where we’re stuck,” said Moore.

Moore pointed out two common reasons that people are giving up their animals to the organization: the cost of food and housing restrictions.

According to Moore, one major factor contributing to this increase is the soaring cost of dog food, with prices for a 45-pound bag climbing to $30, $40, or even $50. Additionally, many housing communities prohibit tenants from having large breed dogs, due to concerns and negative perceptions, further complicating matters for pet owners.

Beaufort County Animal Services has now called out to other rescues in the area to take some of the overflow off their hands. Moore said even with relief from neighboring shelters and boarding communities, they still have crates lining their halls.

“We’re thankful for the boarding communities and the adoption agencies nearby us to help assist, but I mean, even they get to the point where they’re full,” said Moore. “As much as they want to help us out there, you know, they get stuck as well.”

Raskel’s Rescue out of Jasper County has absorbed some dogs and cats from both Beaufort County Animal Services and Jasper Animal Rescue Mission. On top of that, they’ve taken in several litters of puppies and kittens.

“We pull all of our dogs and cats from other shelters that are in need of help because they’re overwhelmed. So, we try to get as many as we can to alleviate some of their space constraints, but we need space to be able to pull more,” said Kirstyn Northrop Cobb, the executive director of Raskel’s Rescue.

Cobb said the problem is, they are also pushing their limits on space.

“We are beyond capacity. We actually have crates popped up in the lobby.  We have an animal in every single space available right now, and we need some of them to go find homes,” Cobb said.

Cobb said she has heard this is a problem at other animal rescues across the Lowcountry and coastal empire.

The shelters need folks to adopt now more than ever, but even just fostering an animal for a day, or a week, would help them out.

Beaufort County Animal Services has a ‘Foster a Day’ program where folks can take a dog out of the kennel and let them experience outside life.

Moore said they are also introducing another foster program for kids coming this summer.

“The program that we’re starting up is to get kids 14 and older, to take home some dogs for the summer, teach them some manners and basic behavioral skills. Then at the end of the summer, we’re going to have a little competition to see who taught the dog the best.  So, then we can really showcase that these are adoptable, trainable dogs that would be great in families,” said Moore. So, that’s something to keep an eye out for.  I think it’ll be really fun for kids, and to teach them a little bit of responsibility as well.”