It’s no secret that shelters throughout San Diego County have been over capacity with dogs for more than a year now. But recently, San Diego Humane Society reached a new record high for the number of puppies in care, reaching more than 200 across their shelter campuses.
Typically, puppies are in greater demand and, as a result, are adopted more quickly than adult dogs. But now, even young puppies are lingering in shelter care with longer lengths of stay.
Puppies have an important socialization window of 12 weeks — meaning this is an essential time to expose them to as many new people, animals, stimuli and environments as possible so they can learn to behave and interact successfully with the world around them.
For that reason, placing puppies in foster care or adoptive homes quickly can be essential to their lifelong well-being. There is also a need for foster homes for mother dogs coming into the shelter with litters.
“We have more puppies in care now than we’ve had in previous years, and they’re waiting longer to be adopted” says Dr. Gary Weitzman, president and CEO, San Diego Humane Society. “Whether you can adopt or temporarily foster to give these puppies a healthy start to life, being in a home environment can make a world of difference.”
The puppies are coming in all shapes, sizes and breeds, too. At the time of this article, San Diego Humane Society had Australian cattle dog, boxer, chihuahua, Doberman pinscher, poodle, Labrador retriever, maltese, pug, schnauzer, shepherd, hound, husky and terrier puppies in foster care or available for adoption – and different puppies are arriving every day.
For those interested in fostering, San Diego Humane Society’s Foster team provides support every step of the way. And for adopters, the organization offers a wide range of behavior and training tools and resources to set families up for success – including online resources, a free Behavior Helpline, and classes like Puppy Preschool.
To become a foster, visit sdhumane.org/foster. If you’re interested in adopting, view available pets at sdhumane.org/adopt. Puppies are added to the website as they become ready for their new homes, which is when they’re big enough to be spayed, neutered and vaccinated.
