Merced County has a surge in unwanted dogs and cats. Here’s how that’s impacted euthanization rates
Thousands of unadopted dogs and cats risk being put to death every year, as shelters deal with animals surrendered after the COVID pandemic
By ZHAOZHOU DAI
zdai@publicintegrity.org
When Sharon Lohman started as a volunteer at the Merced County Animal Shelter in 2004, the vast majority of dogs, cats and other animals never made it out of the facility alive.
Lohman remembers being alarmed by what she saw. “We just did an adoption event,” she said. “But it didn’t help drop the euthanasia rate at all, and the euthanasia rate was almost 80% at that time.”
She knew there had to be another way, and decided to do something to lower the number of animals euthanized in Merced County.
Today, Lohman is the founder and president of the nonprofit organization New Beginnings for Merced County Animals. The group, founded in 2004, flies and transports unadopted animals to other states where there is a higher likelihood they will find new homes.
Organizations like New Beginnings – in coordination with government agencies and other groups – are playing a key role in actively reducing instances of euthanasia and securing new homes for thousands of animals.
The number of euthanized animals has decreased over the last few years. Data from Merced County shows out of 6,155 animals in 2021-22 over a period of one year, 29.38% were euthanized, which roughly amounts to just over 1,800 animals.
In comparison, in 2008-09 out of 9,112 animals that passed through the shelter, 43.88% were euthanized – nearly 4,000 animals.
Although the decrease in the percentage of animals being euthanized is encouraging, challenges remain because the size of the animal population continues to grow. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, many animals end up at shelters as their owners return to the workplace – and it’s a nationwide problem.
Lohman said she never thought the situation would be worse for abandoned animals than it was 20 years ago. She says there are so many unwanted litters of puppies, rescue groups cannot handle it alone.
“During COVID, everybody was able to place their animals (in homes),” Lohman said. “When people started going back to work, people were breeding their animals like crazy because everybody wanted a puppy.”
Continue reading this story at The Merced FOCUS website
Part of the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative, The Merced FOCUS is a nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom covering Merced and the San Joaquin Valley.
Our goal is to shine a light on important issues in our community. Whether it’s education, politics or culture, our journalists take a comprehensive look at the topics and people making news. For more information, email us at CVJC@CVLocalJournalism.org.
Follow the Merced FOCUS on Facebook, Twitter (X), Instagram and Threads.