City animal rescue shelters need some rescuing of their own to continue operating and helping connect rescues to permanent homes.  

The Animal Care Shelters of New York City say that it’s at capacity at a number of their rescue centers.  

Director Kathy Hansen says she’s used to seeing animals stay for about a week until they’re adopted. Now, that average stay is 13 days. She says the shelter has seen a 20% spike in animals admitted compared to last year, with the shelter currently caring for 350 animals.  

“This weekend for instance, we were able to get out 150 animals, which is great, however in that same amount of time we took in 230 animals,” said Hansen.  

Hansen went on to say that work offices, hallways, and even closets are now being used to store animal cages. And while adopting an animal is the best way to help out, there’s more that can be done to lend a hand like volunteering, donating old sheets and unused pet food, and sharing information about the shelter’s capacity issues on social media.  

Hansen says most of the animals in the shelters are ready to be adopted because they’ve lived with families, but that the shelter is coming to a crossroads with their current issues.