Pet surrenders soar in Chicago, pushing city shelter to the brink

Chicago animal shelter overwhelmed as pet surrenders surge
Chicago Animal Care and Control is experiencing a troubling surge in pet surrenders, with hundreds of owners giving up their dogs and cats and pushing the shelter to capacity.
CHICAGO - Chicago Animal Care and Control (CACC) is experiencing a troubling surge in pet surrenders, with hundreds of owners giving up their dogs and cats—pushing the shelter to capacity and leaving countless animals caught in the crisis.
What we know:
Chicago Animal Care and Control’s Southwest Side shelter, located near 28th Street and Western Avenue, has been overwhelmed with an influx of animals in recent months.
"We can house 250 dogs in brick-and-mortar cages. This morning, we started off the day with about 255 and it’s only climbed since then," CACC Public Information Officer Armando Tejeda explained.
Each day, a line forms outside the facility's intake center as pet owners arrive to say ‘farewell’ to their furry friends.
"Before you get in that intake line, just come talk to us, especially if it’s an owner surrender. We have resources out there; there’s so many resources that exist and agencies that want to help you keep your family together," Tejeda said.
Between January 1 and May 20, 2025, the shelter took in 2,360 surrendered pets — up 312% from the same period last year.
Currently, Tejeda said CACC is receiving an average of 56 new animals daily. That's far more cats and dogs left behind than the handful being adopted each day.
In response, the agency is urgently calling on community members to consider fostering or adopting to help ease the burden.
Tejeda said the increase in surrenders is largely driven by financial struggles, including the rising cost of pet food and veterinary care, as well as stricter housing rules enforced by landlords.
CACC partners with more than 100 shelters, including PAWS Chicago, but in many cases, those facilities are also at capacity, Tejeda shared.
The shelter is making every last effort to find space for each animal, but the unfortunate reality is that some of the surrendered animals will end up being euthanized.
"As a municipal shelter, we do have a mandate for stray animals, so if a stray animal comes in, it has to stay here mandatory 5-7 days to see if the owner comes forward. If it's an owner surrender, there's no hold on that animal. So when it does come time for hard decisions, especially with the influx of animals we're seeing, they try to go by behavior, health, things like that if the animal is deteriorating, but unfortunately, owner surrenders, there's no hold for them," Tejeda said. "If you are bringing your pet here, just talk to us first, reach out. It might be something like they need a bag of pet food to get by until the next paycheck. We have that here."
That’s why Tejeda is urging residents to view surrendering a pet as a last resort.
"We should be for animals that are truly in crisis," Tejeda said.
What they're saying:
The surge in pet surrenders has proven to be a difficult situation for everyone involved.
While standing in line on Tuesday, some pet owners were in tears, explaining that they simply can’t afford to care for their companions any longer.
Inside, staff members are working aroun-the-clock trying to find those animals a new place to call ‘home.’
In pet lover Angela Harris' case, her cat welcomed six kittens about eight weeks ago. She is keeping three of them—and surrendering the other three.
"It’s costly, everything from the litter, feeding them. We just want to give them good homes like we’re giving the other ones," Harris said.
What's next:
As awareness about the influx of pet surrenders continues to increase, the community has nearly cleared CACC’s Amazon Wishlist.
CACC’s next adoption event is scheduled for Saturday, June 14 from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m., when all adoption fees will be waived.
In the meantime, adoption fees are always waived for any animal that has been in the shelter for more than 30 days. Walk-in adoptions are available daily, with a standard fee of $65.