Humane Society of Imperial County Over Capacity, Urges Community Support
Imperial County, CA — The Humane Society of Imperial County is facing one of its most challenging periods, as the shelter remains significantly over capacity and struggles to manage the steady flow of animals needing care.
Executive Director Devon Apodaca said the facility currently houses 160 to 175 animals, more than double its intended capacity of about 60 to 75 animals. The overcrowding has left the shelter unable to accept animals from the general public, despite daily calls from residents hoping to surrender their pets.
“We are currently not accepting animals from the general public,” Apodaca explained. “There’s literally no room. We have nowhere to put them.”
Adoption Efforts and Community Involvement
To ease the strain, the Humane Society has launched multiple initiatives to encourage adoptions. These include waiving adoption fees and hosting weekly offsite adoption events every Saturday. Despite these efforts, the shelter has taken in more animals than have been adopted out in recent weeks.
As of the latest count, 30 dogs were adopted during the organization’s “Clear the Shelter” campaign. While encouraging, those numbers have not kept pace with the number of new animals arriving.
The Humane Society contracts with several cities in Imperial County, which requires the shelter to accept animals brought in by those municipalities—whether or not there is space available. This obligation has added to the overcrowding.
Apodaca also confirmed that the shelter has reached out to rescue organizations for help, but many are experiencing the same challenges. “Every rescue that we’ve reached out to has told us basically that they can’t help because they’re in the same situation as us,” he said.
Euthanasia as a Last Resort
When asked about the possibility of euthanasia, Apodaca acknowledged it remains a potential last resort if adoptions do not increase.
“Like many shelters in our position, there is a possibility that animals may need to be euthanized due to time and space constraints. It’s something we don’t want to do—we are doing everything that we can to avoid it.”
He emphasized that this problem is not unique to Imperial County. Shelters across the nation, particularly in Southern California, Arizona, and Texas, are reporting similar crises. The rise in surrendered pets, many acquired during the COVID-19 pandemic, has compounded the issue.
Apodaca urged Imperial Valley residents to consider adopting, fostering, or supporting the Humane Society in other ways. Increased exposure on social media and community word-of-mouth are key to finding homes for the animals in their care.
“We’re trying to blast the animals on social media so they’re getting more exposure to the community in hopes that someone will see a dog in our care and fall in love and come adopt them,” he said.
The Humane Society continues to stress that adopting, fostering, or simply sharing their posts online can make a life-saving difference for animals in need.