ACCT Philly urges public to adopt dogs amid severe overcrowding at the shelter

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — Overcrowding is once again forcing ACCT Philly to make some tough decisions, officials told Action News.

In the past week, the shelter says 140 dogs came in, putting their facility over capacity with 367 animals.

Now, several canines are running out of time as the shelter runs out of space.

“We have these 10 dogs right now that are time-stamped, nine of those dogs are time-stamped simply for lack of space. Nothing is wrong with them, they’re just stamped because they’ve been here for a couple of weeks too long,” said Sarah Barnett,the executive director of ACCT Philly.

Barnett says the shelter is now putting out an urgent call, asking the public to step up and adopt.

This week ACCT Philly is offering a $10 adoption promotion for dogs over 40 lbs that have already been microchipped, vaccinated, and neutered.

She says the top reasons for animal surrenders continue to be lack of housing and finances.

Barnet also added that right now, they’re seeing animals being dumped as strays from breeders.

“There’s a lot of people in the community who don’t understand the ongoing crisis of just how full we are. They’re bringing in dogs saying, ‘Oh I think he’ll have a better chance here. I don’t think he’s happy with me.’ But we really need the public to know if you need help with your pet, ask now. We can help you,” she explained.

This year the shelter is on track to get 7,000 dogs. That’s roughly 2,000 more this year than what ACCT Philly took in 2022.