Finding affordable housing is tough enough and adding a dog to the mix makes it a whole different issue. It is such a problem that some have turned to living in their cars to keep their animals due to a lack of pet-friendly housing.
Katie Shannon, Director of Marketing & Communications sat with Susie Thieman, Maui Non Profit Directors radio show to discuss a variety of topics including the pet housing crisis, SOS Foster, what to do if you find an animal, Dog on Demand, Empty the Shelters (Oct 1-8), Fostering and more!
The housing crisis is hitting animal-owning renters—and the Maui Humane Society—especially hard…. “It’s a real crisis we’re facing—a vicious, sometimes hopeless cycle,” said Maui Humane Society marketing director Katie Shannon. “I’m very concerned looking forward that [MHS] is going to bear the weight of this.”
Puppies, kittens, and bunnies are all in need of a good home as humane societies across the island are filling up. Abandonment and surrendering of pets are a big reason why the humane societies are full, and this is due to people downsizing and moving houses. Katie Shannon from the Maui Humane Society said finding animal approved housing is “so so difficult and the housing that is allowed to have an animal at is so expensive that it’s really not obtainable for a large part of the population.”
The No. 1 reason dogs and cats are surrendered to the Maui Humane Society is a lack of pet-friendly housing. “With so many off-island home buyers, not only are people getting kicked out of where they currently are renting, but now it is so unaffordable to actually own a home,” said Jenny Miller of the Maui Humane Society. “We’re in dire need of affordable housing that’s pet-friendly.”
