PASCO COUNTY, Fla — Reinvigorating missions and saving more animals is the goal for Pasco Animal Services as it calls together a meeting of the minds with non-profit rescues, cities, and counties all across our region.
“All animal shelters want to see their fur babies leave the shelter to a wonderful situation and rescue organizations help close the gap and doing so," said Gina Botticello, the Community Partnerships and Programs manager at Pasco Animal Services. “Times are tough in animal sheltering for sure and animal rescue as well. Nationally, adoption rates are down. They haven’t been this slow since 2018.”
According to Shelter Animals Count, in itsmid-year review of 2024, 4% fewer dogs and cats were adopted nationally than in 2023. The World Animal Foundation found last year about 61% of dogs and cats are adopted out of shelters and 12% are transferred.
“Some say it’s because of the economy, it could be because of climate issues here in Florida, we had two hurricanes back to back which has led to a lot of displaced animals. Now we’re seeing the fires in California, so nationally, we’ve been on a bit of a run here," said Botticello.
She would love to see those numbers improve.
“Animal shelters rely so heavily on the support of rescue transfer organizations for animals that may not be adoptable, whether that’s for medical or behavioral needs," she said.
ABC Action News hears stories like that all of the time in Rescues in Action on Good Morning Tampa Bay.
Animal Rescue is near and dear to my heart. The rescues we feature every week pull animals from shelters that were on the brink of euthanasia, which is why Botticello says this meeting is so important.
“Strengthening that pipeline of support for animals that are a little bit more vulnerable is essential," she said. "We want to see every single animal leave the shelter, no matter their need is.”
To learn more about Rescues in Action and see adoptable pets in our area available now, click here!
The meeting begins at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, January 29th, but the open house starts at 5 p.m. New non-profit rescues are encouraged to attend. The meeting will be held at Starkey Ranch Theatre Cultural Center, 12118 Lake Blanche Dr., Odessa, FL, 33556.
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