In 2023, animal shelters across the St. Louis area faced an unprecedented crisis of overcrowding. Two years later, things have only gotten worse.
“It’s heartbreaking,” said Elizabeth Ward, who volunteers at the Center for Animal Rescue and Enrichment of St. Louis. “The animals there are incredibly stressed, and their quality of life is poor. Most of the dogs at CARE spend about 23.5 hours a day in their kennel or pop-up crate.”
The nonprofit CARE STL is contracted with the St. Louis Department of Health to take in animals brought to it by animal control officers. The nonprofit has the capacity to house about 61 dogs comfortably. Currently, there are 109 dogs living at the facility.
“We are drowning, and we need help,” said CARE STL staffer Nikki Nadler.
Gateway Pet Guardians in East St. Louis has seen a 15% increase in the number of pets surrendered or brought to the shelter since last year. Executive Director Alisha Vianello said a lack of pet-inclusive affordable housing is the biggest contributor to that increase.
“We see people getting threats of eviction constantly because their landlord won’t let them keep their pet or they can't afford to stay where they are,” she said. “We are seeing that over, and over and over again.”
Vianello added that they also see more people surrender or abandon their pets due to the high cost of veterinary care, as well as overall financial instability.
Since October 2024, Gateway Pet Guardians’ food pantry saw a nearly 50% increase in the number of families needing assistance with pet food each month. In addition to providing food donations, the pantry offers a full-service vet clinic with lower prices and payment plans that are interest free. It's increased treatment capacity by 70% in the past year but still has to turn away patients every day.
While pet food pantries and affordable veterinary clinics aim to keep families and pets together, animal shelter leaders say more support is needed as residents face housing constraints and financial hardship.
Malik Johnson, division director for St. Louis County Animal Care and Control, said stricter laws regulating breeding operations would go a long way toward lowering the amount of animals on the streets and in shelters. Currently, county residents are prohibited from having more than four unspayed female dogs without a license.
“We've had a few cases where folks would have more than 10 dogs in their house, and they're breeding those animals,” he said. “We need stricter laws or ordinances around folks who breed dogs.”
Community members can also help shelters by volunteering time, donating money, dropping off needed items such as blankets, towels and food, and fostering an animal.
“Fostering is truly an honor of a lifetime. It's so rewarding and fulfilling,” Vianello said. “It's also a way to take care of a pet without the financial and long-term responsibility. We provide all supplies, all the veterinary care. It's a really easy, barrier-free way to have a pet in your life.”
The demand for shelter services isn’t likely to decrease anytime soon. Despite being over capacity and understaffed, Elisa Bauer said staff and volunteers continue to do their best with a bad situation. The development and marketing manager said they’re fortunate to have staff members who truly love and care for the animals.
“Even when you're facing burnout and you're on the verge of tears, you'll look over and there's a dog just looking at you like you're the most important person in the world, and that reminds you of why you keep going,” Bauer said.
To learn more about the services that area shelters provide to pet owners and what you can do to help those in need, listen to St. Louis on the Air on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or click the play button below.
Related Events
What: Volunteer orientations at Gateway Pet Guardians
When: Nov. 9, Nov. 19, Dec. 6 and Dec. 17
Where: Gateway Pet Guardians, 725 N. 15th St., East St. Louis, IL 62205
What: CARE STL “Sip & Shop” fundraiser
When: 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Dec. 13
Where: CARE STL, 1335 Convention Plaza, St. Louis, MO 63103
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. Darrious Varner is our production assistant. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr.
