Blackfoot Animal Shelter sees disturbing trend as more pets are left abandoned in the outdoors

BLACKFOOT, Idaho (KIFI) - Some of our local animal shelters are starting to see a disturbing trend regarding pets coming into the shelter.

What is the trend?

Pets are being abandoned by their owners. The Blackfoot Animal Shelter has been particularly affected by this abandonment tactic. In recent months, the shelter has had multiple dogs come in with collars on and they haven't been claimed yet.

It is highly likely they have either been abandoned or ran away and no one came looking for them. Many of the dogs currently in the shelter are owner surrendered, and when the shelter has to turn them away, the shelter then sees the same animals abandoned outdoors. One such animal was found in the cemetery, just lying down under the trees.

"It's really hard for the shelters to turn away people. But when we're super full, there's nothing we can do," Blackfoot Animal Shelter representative Kamryn Huseby said.

While the overcrowding situation at the shelter is overall starting to improve, it's still a little "ruff."

"At the shelter right now. We have 29 and we have 26 dog kennels," Huseby said.

Huseby says if you need to rehome an animal and there's no room at the shelter there are other steps you can take.

"The big thing is realizing if you can't take care of them, finding something for them early enough that you don't have to dump them. Start posting them on social media platforms to see if somebody else is willing to take them and not just let them go and hope somebody will pick them up or hoping somebody will take them in, but find them a better place to go," Huseby said.

Huseby reminds would-be pet owners they should remember it's a lifetime commitment and will take up the next 12-15 years of their lives.

While it is hard to say what is causing the overflow of pets, lifestyle changes since the pandemic and financial hardships play a role.