Woods Humane Society is reeling from a baby boom of a different kind.

"It's really drastic," Communications Manager Jamie Relth said. "We've almost taken in [as many] puppies in the first quarter of the year as we do over the entire year."

• Photo Courtesy Of Woods Humane Society
• PUPS GALORE Primarily through transfers from overpopulated shelters across California, Woods Humane Society took in 107 puppies this January to mid-March alone. It's triple the amount from the same time last year.

Data from Woods Humane show that it brought in 107 puppies from January to mid-March this year. It's triple the number from the same time period in 2022. As of April 3, Woods Humane had received six more puppies.

Most of them are transported to the private nonprofit from other shelters facing an influx of stray or surrendered puppies or mother dogs nursing multiple litters. Relth told New Times that Woods Humane works with San Luis Obispo County Animal Services and a network of overcrowded shelters throughout California.

"We transport as many as we can from these impacted shelters, many of which are in the Central Valley, to alleviate the overcrowding and to save adoptable pets from the risk of euthanasia due to lack of space," she said.

But the rise in homeless puppies isn't a problem unique to Woods Humane or even California. It's a national observation as a result of a pandemic-induced "trickle-down effect", according to Relth. Shelters saw increased pet adoption rates after COVID-19 slammed the world in 2020. But health guidelines and social distancing prevented widespread community access to spay and neuter programs and prompted veterinary services to "fix" fewer pets each day.

Emily L'Heureux, Woods Humane's interim CEO, announced in a press release that potential increases in puppy-breeding programs during the pandemic may have contributed to the ballooning count.

"A couple of years ago, it was nearly impossible to adopt puppies because the demand was so high," L'Heureux wrote in the statement. "As people return to working in the office and as the costs of animal care are rising in the current economy, the tide is turning and now the number of requests for owner surrenders or shelter transports of nursing mothers and puppies has gone up markedly."

More puppies also equal higher expenses for Woods Humane. It's presently budgeted for 3,000 animals, including 130 puppies, for the year at an average cost of almost $407 per animal.

With kitten season poised to return in the spring coupled with the nationwide shortage of veterinarians, the nonprofit is scrambling to acquire increased funding for medical care to adapt to its growing population. Woods Humane is also looking for more foster services.

While the shelter is doing fine with space now, Relth said making room for animals is "like a puzzle." Often, puppies (classified as 5 months old or younger) are too young for spay and neuter surgeries. They need somewhere to stay and grow until they're of age. Currently, Woods Humane has 31 puppies in foster care, and it's anticipating their on-site return in a few months.

"We also recently cared for puppies who came to us with parvovirus, which is a very deadly and contagious disease for puppies," Relth said. "With the help of urgent veterinary care and foster support, the puppies survived and were adopted."

As a private nonprofit, Woods Humane receives its funding from community donations and year-round grant applications. Most recently, it applied for the one awarded by the California Animal Welfare Funders Collaborative.

"Any donations can really help change the life of an animal; $406.98 per animal might be too steep for some but even $10 or $15 can really help us feed and buy toys for them," Relth said. Δ