As rising costs lead to overcrowding at local shelters, groups work to alleviate strain

DYERSBURG, Tenn. — Rising costs have led many pet owners to give up their animals. This in turn has put a major strain on local shelters.

As the seasons change, local shelters face a recurring problem of not enough space. From large animal rescues to strays, or even family pets being dumped, animal care centers are feeling the strain of being overcrowded.

We spoke with one animal shelter volunteer who tells about how they are working to help pet owners with the cost of ownership and what else needs to be done.

“I think it’s always been a problem. I think it’s worse now because of the rising costs of everything just to survive. You can’t afford to neuter your animal. You can’t afford to vet them,” said Lisa Chesney, local volunteer & Director, Salvation Army of Dyer County. “We’ve seen it, where people have gotten to the point where they’ve dumped them because of lack of resources.”

Chesney says some residents are concerned about how they will feed not only their families, but also their animals.

“They’re worried,” Chesney said. “We had one this morning so worried. She had several dogs she’s rescued and, you now, we give her food and we hope for the best.”

These concerns led to a pet food program.

“We’ve started the pet food program just for that problem; for the overflow of people who don’t have the means to buy food. When we have donations, we give out free cat food and dog food four days a week,” said Chesney.

“A lot of the dogs that come into the shelter are very, very thin, skin and bones. They may have been picked up from a home that way people couldn’t afford to feed them. So, I want to make sure that we have food for every living soul here in Dyer County,” said Chesney.

While this program helps alleviate some of the pressure on pet owners, local shelters are still struggling. Chesney says the city does not have an animal problem, but rather a people problem.

“It all falls back to not neutering, not confining your pets, letting them run free. We need to hold people accountable for their irresponsible behavior with their pets,” Chesney said. “We have clients who come here that are dog bit, just trying to walk here and get lunch.”

Paws To Care has partnered with local veterinarians to offer low-cost spay and neuter services available to all residents. Click here for more information.

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