The first job for volunteers at the Humane Society of Ray County animal shelter in Richmond, Missouri is to let the dogs out of their cells and lead them to the former inmate exercise area for some playtime and socialization. The shelter, housed in the old city jail, cares for approximately 30 dogs and more than 80 cats, with more animals constantly coming through the doors.

According to longtime volunteer and humane society board member Atalie Blackwell, the high number of animals coming in is due to a variety of factors, many of them related to the community’s struggle to cope with post-pandemic obstacles. Changes in housing and animals developing separation anxiety-based behavioral issues with the end of remote work has some people deciding they can no longer care for animals adopted over the past two years.

At the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, animal adoptions increased, Blackwell said. “Then, this summer, it’s been brutal. We definitely started to notice our numbers going up. And, of course, people don’t say they can’t commit. We’ve had people tell us their living situations have changed and they can’t care for their pets anymore because they’re having to move into apartments.”

Underfunded, understaffed and overworked, the volunteers make do with what they have, aided by members of the community who all want to see the current four-legged inmates of the jail released to a new home.