TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) - A big problem for a small Northwest Ohio animal shelter. The Fort Defiance Humane Society has been overflowing with animals in recent months, with no end in sight.

The situation is not unique. It’s a challenge facing rescues and shelters around the United States.

There is not much available space at the Defiance shelter right now, especially when it comes to dogs.

“We’ll get two adopted and three more come in the same day. That’s what we’ve faced for the last 18 months. This is the first time we’ve had any open kennels since February, but they will be filled again tonight,” Lisa Weaner, the executive director of the shelter said. “We’ve never seen it like this. We’ve never seen it this constantly full. Last week we had eight dogs come in within a two-day period. For us in a small shelter, that is huge and we can’t get caught up.”

And the overcrowding is compounded by other factors.

“We’re getting more animals than in the past, adoptions are down so they are staying longer and donations are down, so it’s a punch from both sides,” Weaner said.

People who foster animals are helping, but like many shelters, there aren’t enough of them. Staff members are also fostering some of the animals, but space is still at a premium.

“We have our meet and greet room with a dog in it right now. Our break room has cats in it because we are simply out of space and have nowhere else to put them,” Weaner said.

The overcrowding is forcing shelter leaders to turn animals away, which is not something they want to have to do.

“We’re supposed to be here to help people who have to surrender their pets for various reasons. We are now having to turn them away. It’s sad for the animals, it’s sad for the owners, and it puts everyone in a horrible position,” Weaner said.

Weaner believes there are several contributing factors, including the economy and a shortage of veterinarians.

“However, the biggest contributor is the breeding situation. In Ohio alone, our high-volume breeders have nearly doubled in the last five years We’re simply saturated and in a small area like this, there is nowhere else for them to go,” Weaner said.

Weaner added there is also another simple fix to the overcrowding problem.

“People need to spay or neuter their pets. That is a big key to this problem as well. I understand that it can be expensive and that a lot of the low-cost options are full right now, but we all have to keep working at it from that angle,” Weaner said. “We have to make an effort as a community. I don’t see an end in sight soon unless we get tougher on laws and regulations for high-volume breeders and do more spay and neuter surgeries.”

In spite of the constant challenges, Weaner says there’s a simple reason she and her staff keep coming back.

“We come back for the animals because at the end of the day, they lose if we give up. It can be a tough job and a thankless job, but we come back for them,” Weaner said.

Fort Defiance Humane Society is a non-profit that relies on donations and grants to operate.

If you’d like to learn more about helping the shelter, click here.

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