MONROE — It’s not the kind of place to go if a visitor is uninterested in making new friends. There are plenty of them here, and you will want to take them all home — Crumble, Gilbert and Johnny, are among them 

And don’t forget June, Mertle and Ruby Mae.

Those dogs join plenty of cool cats waiting for adoption at Green County’s Humane Society.  After pet adoptions surged during the pandemic, the opposite is now happening in some regions, as shelters report full kennels across the country just at the beginning of cat breeding season. 

And while the latest pet shelter crisis is not easing much in the U.S., Green County is holding its own — with a steady supply of surrendered and stray dogs and cats, but also plenty of both fur babies going out the door for adoption, officials at the county facility say.

“We have a steady dog population here, but we also see so many adopted we are usually able to handle it,” said Alex Rea-Kodatt, volunteer coordinator at GCHS.

She was working on a recent weekday and explaining how over 250 volunteers make sure the local shelter keeps going. 

After adoptions surged in this country throughout the pandemic years, shelters nationwide are seeing much of the opposite effect — people surrendering their animals. Family budgets have been stressed by the cumulative effect of rising prices for everything from groceries to rent, and for some, the additional cost of a pet is simply too much. 

Rents have surged even more in 2025, experts said, making a difficult and expensive apartment search nearly impossible for owners of dogs, especially larger breeds and older dogs. The Humane Society has been pushing policies at a national level to make it so landlords are less restrictive when it comes to pets, but nothing substantive has come out of the policy-making arena.

In 2024, community intakes for dogs and cats totaled 1.4% fewer than in 2023, representing 83,000 fewer animals. Intakes are evenly split between dogs and cats, with both contributing to the overall decline, according to the Shelter Animals Count national database.

There also are too many cats for which to find homes but cats are sometimes easier to place due to fewer restrictions on them in apartment dwellings. 

But cost, experts agree, is the number one factor: In 2022, for example, the American Pet Products Association found that the average yearly cost for dog owners was $315 for boarding, $354 for food, and $344 for veterinarian care. The surge in inflation has made it much worse in 2025.

About 2.9 million dogs entered shelters or rescues in 2024. 

Meanwhile GCHS, which traces its history here back to the 1980s, has gone from a 62% kill rate in 1999 to no-kill status. That is so dogs like current shelter resident Shadow, a black shepherd mix, can stay until they find forever homes.

The shelter is always looking for volunteers, new pet owners to adopt dogs and cats, and fostering, according to Rea-Kodatt. 

By taking a pet out of the shelter, a foster family provides a respite for the animal from the stress of shelter life, increasing their chances for adoption later. It is also a chance for pet lovers to engage with more than one animal.

“Our fosters are so helpful for us, especially at this time of year,” she said.

A complete list of the shelter’s dog and cat population for adoption is available online. They also need donations of valuable supplies — the list of those items also is on the GCHS site, as well as information on becoming a foster.

2024 Animal Shelter Statistics*

●  5.8 million dogs and cats entered shelters and rescues in 2024, down only slightly from the year before. The number of dogs and cats entering shelters and rescues last year is evenly split, with both populations contributing to the overall slight decline in shelter intake.

●  The length of time dogs, especially large dogs, are staying in shelters before being adopted has increased in the last 5 years, adding strain to an already overburdened shelter system. This extended length of time animals are staying in shelters contributes to the ongoing capacity crisis, limiting space for new animals.

●  4.2 million shelter animals were adopted into loving homes in 2024, approximately the same number of animals adopted as the year before. Unfortunately, not enough animals were adopted to significantly reduce the number of dogs and cats in shelters nationwide.

●  Approximately 607,000 animals were euthanized in shelters in 2024, decreasing by approximately 2% compared to 2023. In the past five years, euthanasia rates have dropped from 13% in 2019 to 8% in 2024.

●  Approximately 2 million dogs were adopted in 2024, 554,000 were returned to their owner, 334,000 were euthanized, and 524,000 were transferred to other organizations.

●  Approximately 2.2 million cats were adopted in 2024, 362,000 were returned to their owner or the field, 273,000 were euthanized, and 369,000 were transferred to other organizations.

*Source: ASPCA