Dog shelters across the country fill up every month. As dogs are adopted and reclaimed to their previous owners, more dogs are coming in, keeping shelters full constantly. The Portage County Dog Shelter experiences this and wants people to know the importance in adoption. Not only is adoption extremely cheaper than purchasing from a breeder, but it is beneficial for more than just the person buying the dog. Adoption gives the shelter dogs a chance at a life outside of the cage. It also allows shelters to bring new dogs in, instead of having to send them elsewhere when they are too full. Ultimately it is a win-win situation for both the human and the dog.

Unlike the Portage County Dog shelter, some are kill shelters. This means that instead of sending dogs to other locations when they are to full, they have the option to euthanize dogs. Across America, 360,000 dogs were euthanized in 2023, which is a 15% increase from 2022. This is a big reason why shelters and dog lovers around the country are pushing for people to look into adoption before deciding where they are getting their next dog.

Shelter life has an impact on the dogs living there. Rita Shafer, a Portage County employee, notices when the dogs get overly stressed throughout their time at the shelter. Throughout her time working at the shelter, she has noticed the personality of dogs change drastically the longer they are there. The dogs come in happy, but as time goes on, their personality goes down and is much different from the beginning of their time. Just another reason why shelters are pushing for more families to look in to adoption.

The Stark County Dog Pound gets roughly 120 dogs in the shelter each month, with just a few less coming out. As these dogs are coming in and going out, it is a rotation of dogs, keeping the cages always full.