Pets tied up in the legal system add to capacity strains at Arizona shelters

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) — Pets tied up in legal cases are causing a strain on the Arizona Humane Society’s capacity. “They are considered evidence, so because of that, we are taking care of them and making sure they are comfortable, making sure that they are safe,” said Kelsey Dickerson, a spokeswoman with the Arizona Humane Society.

Whenever an animal is seized by police during a case, like animal cruelty, they are taken to the Humane Society while that court trial proceeds. This is not a short process, as it can take anywhere from 10 days to up to several months, according to Dickerson. “Depending on how they are going through the court system and depending how the judge rules will determine how long that pet is in our care,” she said.

One of the biggest issues in these cases is animal hoarding, with AHS seeing 80 cases so far this year. This brought around 1,700 animals through the system. “That’s about a 67% increase over the fiscal year 2022,” said Dickerson.

When they take in these animals, it can cause a lot of problems for the rescues they take in, as it means they have to take in less of them. “This means this pet is sitting in a kennel not being able to move through the system and not able to go through fosters until a judge is able to rule in our favor or if the pet is to be returned,” said Dickerson.

Since animals in the court system cannot be adopted out or fostered during this time, it also can stretch shelter resources like with surgeries or ICU needs. Dickerson said on average, about 13% of the animals in their care are tied in the court system at any given time. “Which doesn’t sound like a lot but when you think about the amount of time they spent in the kennel and amount of kennels that they can hold up, it definitely causes a bottleneck in the system,” said Dickerson.

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