Right now, animal shelters across West Virginia are facing a crisis unlike anything we’ve seen in years. Kennels are overflowing, staff and volunteers are stretched thin, and heartbreaking decisions are being made every single day — not because the animals are unwanted, but because families who love them simply can’t afford to keep them.

Inflation and rising living costs have pushed many West Virginians into impossible choices: pay rent, buy groceries, or care for a pet. For some, surrendering a beloved dog or cat is the only way to keep the lights on. These aren’t “unwanted” animals — they are victims of an economic storm.

Shelter directors are reporting record intake numbers, but adoptions aren’t keeping pace. With food, medical care, and utilities for shelters also rising in cost, many facilities are just one emergency away from collapse. If nothing changes, more animals will suffer, and more shelters will be forced to turn away desperate families.

We can prevent this. West Virginia’s state and local governments must provide emergency funding to help animal shelters keep their doors open and their animals safe. This funding should cover essential food and veterinary care, support spay/neuter programs to reduce future overcrowding, and create emergency pet retention assistance so families don’t have to give up pets due to temporary financial hardship.

Helping shelters helps our communities. It keeps animals out of danger, reduces the strain on already overburdened volunteers, and gives struggling pet owners a lifeline until they can get back on their feet.

No one should have to choose between their pet and their basic needs. No animal should be euthanized simply because there was no space or resources to care for them.

Sign this petition to urge West Virginia’s leaders to act now — because our shelters can’t wait, and neither can the animals counting on them.