LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — The Animal Foundation held its annual public meeting Saturday, recapping the state of animal welfare in the Las Vegas valley.
Foundation leaders also heard the concerns and questions of community members.
So far in 2024, The Animal Foundation has taken in 24,056 animals — up nearly 18%. The Animal Foundation CEO Hilarie Grey said this is a common trend nationwide.
“You know, we hear more about people in economic crisis, housing issues, a shortage of veterinary care. And all of that equates to more animals coming into the shelter,” Grey said.
While they don’t cancel out intakes, adoptions for dogs and cats have climbed, and foster families have more than doubled this year.
Saturday’s presentation from The Animal Foundation’s leadership showcased the numbers and the new initiatives that brought them. Those include taking foster pets on field trips, a kitten nursery, and a hotline staffed seven days a week.
“We are doing more despite all of those headwinds. Our life-saving is moving in the right direction. We’ve innovated and grown a lot of programs. We’ve gotten a thousand foster field trips,” Grey said.
Overall, there were high numbers of intakes and adoptions, along with a significant turnout of public commenters at Saturday’s meeting. During nearly an hour of discussion, community members raised concerns about funding, long wait times, and capacity issues.
“When we’re overcrowded, we see more things happening,” Grey said. “There’s just a lot of moving parts to it. A lot of people that want to help. And the more that we can understand each other and work together, the better we’re going to be.”
