Two years ago, Summit County Animal Control and Shelter recorded its highest number of pet surrenders in over a decade in a trend staff members hoped would slow. While 2023’s surrender stats were considered unprecedented, surrenders increased by over 40% in 2024. 

Where 157 surrendered pets came through the shelter’s doors in 2023, around 224 surrendered pets came through its doors in 2024. 

Summit County Animal Control and Shelter Director JJ McGill said pet relinquishments were steady throughout 2024, and there was even a bump at the tail end of the year.

“Just in December, we had 20 puppy relinquishments, like puppies under eight weeks,” she said.

Additionally, the shelter saw a near 30% decrease year-over-year in impounded animals being redeemed by their owners. Impounded animals are those that ended up at the shelter because they were found by someone and thought to be lost.

Pet surrenders began happening in historic numbers in Summit in the years following the peak of COVID-19 pandemic. McGill said dogs adopted during the height of the pandemic missed out on crucial socialization in their youth which helps shape how they interact with both humans and other dogs. She added that there were also fewer in-person training opportunities due to the pandemic. These factors fueled a surge in people relinquishing their pets in not just Summit, but across the country.

Summit differs from some of its neighboring communities in that it continued to see surrenders rise in 2024. Grand County Sheriff’s Office Communications Director Erin Opsahl said the county’s shelter experienced a decrease in surrenders during 2024, particularly for cats.

According to Opsahl, Grand’s shelter had 54 pets surrendered to it in 2023 and 43 pets surrendered to it in 2024.  

Eagle County’s Animal Services Shelter Manager Rhiannon Rowe said her shelter had a slight dip in surrenders year over year, with 115 in 2024 and 125 in 2023. 

“The surrenders that we are getting are, more often than not, behavior surrenders or animals with major medical issues, so their length of stay and cost of care is higher,” Rowe said via email. 

While the past few years have brought more behavior-related surrenders in Summit, McGill said housing emerged as more of an issue in 2024. 

She said the shelter noticed more homeowners associations and property managers were “cracking down” on pets. 

“Some places up here now (have) a breed-restriction list, which we thought was interesting,” she said. 

She said the shelter has learned many breed-restriction lists target huskies, a popular breed for the mountains due to their energy and ability to weather the cold that’s known for being quite noisy. 

Due to so many surrenders, the shelter wasn’t able to take in as many transfers from other overburdened shelters as they usually would, she added. 

Surrenders may have continued to rise in 2024, but, unlike 2023, the adoption rate rose as well. 

McGill said the shelter was grateful to see a boost in adoptions in 2024. Around 527 adoptions occurred through Summit County Animal Control and Shelter in 2024, including the 20 puppies surrendered in December, compared to approximately 492 adoptions in 2023. 

One thing Summit’s shelter won’t do, according to McGill, is shame owners for surrendering their pets. 

“It’s okay for us to be a resource,” she said. “We understand that things ebb and flow and change … we want people to use us if they need us.” 

“Fortunately, we’re a really great shelter where we have great adopters, and we have a lot more success stories than not,” she added.

More information on Summit County Animal Control and Shelter can be found at TinyURL.com/yc82xprj.