BRUNSWICK, Maine — Midcoast Humane, located in Brunswick, has announced over social media and through a press release to news organizations that it is waiving adoption fees beginning Friday, Aug. 2, until Sunday, Aug. 4, for animals over 6 months of age.
The animal shelter said it's at capacity due to a "dramatic increase in the number of owner-admitted pets."
Marketing & Communication Manager Kate Griffith said that in June 2024, the number of surrendered animals was almost double that of June 2023. She also noted that the number of adoptions was down, and the average time an animal was with them was longer. She said only 55 dogs were adopted in July, the fewest in a single month all year.
"We receive requests from other Maine shelters on a daily basis asking for assistance with their populations. Some shelters have stopped taking in new animals altogether, and we have a long waiting list," Jess Townsend, executive director, observed. "Midcoast Humane, along with most shelters in Maine, has not needed to contemplate euthanasia as a means of population control in many years. To be chock full of animals and out of space is a scary place to be."
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Griffith wrote in the release that the shelter has over 450 homeless animals in its care.
In addition to surrendered pets, Midcoast Humane houses animals for law enforcement agencies who remove animals as part of seizure cases.
"We have taken in 99 seized pets since the beginning of the year. Many of these animals will stay with us for months until their cases are resolved," Townsend revealed.
Not only are they not taking in any more animals, but the shelter has also had to halt its transport program which brings homeless animals from across the country to Maine, where in the past there have not been enough pets to meet the demand for adoption.
The shelter is located at 5 Industrial Parkway in Brunswick and will be open from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. Friday, Aug. 2, until Sunday, Aug. 4. As part of the adoption process, adopters must speak with an adoption counselor and complete an application.
The shelter said it will lose money by waiving the adoption fees, but feels it has no other option.