Emergency Funding to Save New Mexico’s Overcrowded Animal Shelters
The Issue
Right now in New Mexico, animal shelters are at a breaking point. Kennels meant for two dogs now hold three or more. Cats are stacked in crates in hallways. Staff and volunteers are working around the clock, but the reality is heartbreaking: there simply isn’t enough space, food, or medical care for the animals flooding in.
Why? Many families are being forced to surrender their pets because they can no longer afford food, vet bills, or even rent. Inflation has made basic pet care unaffordable for too many households. These aren’t neglectful owners — they’re people making impossible choices between feeding their children and keeping a beloved family pet.
Our shelters are doing everything they can, but without emergency funding, the overcrowding crisis will only get worse. Overcrowding means higher stress for animals, faster spread of disease, and tragically, the risk of euthanasia for healthy pets simply because there’s no room.
We are calling on New Mexico’s Governor and state legislature to take immediate action by:
- Providing emergency grants to animal shelters to cover food, veterinary care, and staffing
- Supporting low-cost veterinary clinics and pet food assistance programs to help struggling families keep their pets
- Funding community outreach to promote fostering and adoption
The animals entering our shelters today didn’t ask to be there. They deserve safety, compassion, and a chance to find a loving home. Emergency funding could prevent thousands of needless surrenders and save countless lives.
We have the power to act before this crisis becomes unmanageable. Other states have stepped in with special funding during shelter emergencies — New Mexico can too. By investing in our shelters and in keeping pets with the families who love them, we protect not just animals, but our communities’ compassion and humanity.
Sign this petition to tell our state leaders: the animals of New Mexico cannot wait. Give shelters the resources they need now, and give families the help they deserve to keep their pets at home.
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The Issue
Right now in New Mexico, animal shelters are at a breaking point. Kennels meant for two dogs now hold three or more. Cats are stacked in crates in hallways. Staff and volunteers are working around the clock, but the reality is heartbreaking: there simply isn’t enough space, food, or medical care for the animals flooding in.
Why? Many families are being forced to surrender their pets because they can no longer afford food, vet bills, or even rent. Inflation has made basic pet care unaffordable for too many households. These aren’t neglectful owners — they’re people making impossible choices between feeding their children and keeping a beloved family pet.
Our shelters are doing everything they can, but without emergency funding, the overcrowding crisis will only get worse. Overcrowding means higher stress for animals, faster spread of disease, and tragically, the risk of euthanasia for healthy pets simply because there’s no room.
We are calling on New Mexico’s Governor and state legislature to take immediate action by:
- Providing emergency grants to animal shelters to cover food, veterinary care, and staffing
- Supporting low-cost veterinary clinics and pet food assistance programs to help struggling families keep their pets
- Funding community outreach to promote fostering and adoption
The animals entering our shelters today didn’t ask to be there. They deserve safety, compassion, and a chance to find a loving home. Emergency funding could prevent thousands of needless surrenders and save countless lives.
We have the power to act before this crisis becomes unmanageable. Other states have stepped in with special funding during shelter emergencies — New Mexico can too. By investing in our shelters and in keeping pets with the families who love them, we protect not just animals, but our communities’ compassion and humanity.
Sign this petition to tell our state leaders: the animals of New Mexico cannot wait. Give shelters the resources they need now, and give families the help they deserve to keep their pets at home.
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Petition created on August 13, 2025