Sacramento SPCA asks pet owners to check for space before dropping off animals

The Sacramento SPCA is asking owners who wish to relinquish a pet to check with the shelter to make sure there is room before dropping off the animal.

Due to a recent influx of dogs, the Sacramento SPCA reached its housing capacity Thursday and announced a temporary moratorium on accepting owner-relinquished dogs.

Such moratoriums have been rare, said SPCA CEO Rick Johnson. In the past, he said, the SPCA often continued to accept all dogs as they came in. But, he said, “It would create a significantly compromised housing situation. We realize we just can’t do that and ensure the well-being and health of all our animals.”

Although the SPCA was able to begin accepting dogs again Friday morning, officials said the ebb and flow of incoming animals may periodically require temporary suspensions in its acceptance of dogs or cats.

Since the beginning of 2016, the Sacramento SPCA has taken in more than 350 dogs. Johnson said staff members had not identified any particular reason for the large influx. The SPCA receives some stray animals under contracts with the cities of Folsom and Rancho Cordova, but Johnson said the majority of animals at the shelter on Florin Perkins Road have been relinquished by their owners for one reason or another. The shelter can handle about 450 animals, he said.

Johnson urged people giving up pets to make an effort to find a home for the animals before turning to a shelter. Taking an animal to a shelter, he said, should be viewed as a last resort.

If a shelter is the only option, he said, the pet owner should check to make sure it has room. Updates are available via the Sacramento SPCA’s website, www.sspca.org, or by calling 916-504-2851.

The Keep Your Pet website, www.keepyourpet.com, offers information to help people find ways to keep their animals.

This story was originally published February 5, 2016 at 4:08 PM with the headline "Sacramento SPCA asks pet owners to check for space before dropping off animals."