SKOWHEGAN — Just a few years ago, the Somerset Humane Society always had room to take in dogs.

But since the middle of 2022, the Skowhegan animal shelter, which can hold 13 dogs, often has had upward of 20 under its care at any given time, according to Executive Director Bonnie Brooks.

As a “no kill” shelter — meaning it does not euthanize animals due to lack of space and must have a live release rate of more than 90% — the humane society does what it can, Brooks said. That means relying on fostering, and sometimes even temporarily putting kennels in already cramped offices and other staff areas.

The growing number of dogs and other animals landing in animal shelters across the state has prompted the Somerset Humane Society and a committee of local and county officials to seriously consider building a new facility.

“This is very different for us,” said Brooks, a Somerset County native who has worked at the humane society for a decade and has been director for two years. “We’ve never had to really experience this major overload of dogs.”

‘It’s not just us’

The nonprofit humane society at 123 Middle Road can hold 13 dogs and 50-60 cats in what Brooks described as a building made up of “addition upon addition upon addition” built in the 1970s. It serves about 30 municipalities, most of which are in Somerset County, including the county’s unorganized territories. All municipalities under state law must contract with a licensed facility of their choice.

Cats have been less of a problem for the shelter, Brooks said, because they are smaller and require less space. Animal control officers generally respond to fewer calls about stray cats than dogs, as it is more common to see a stray dog as a public safety concern, she said.

The increase in stray and abandoned dogs has become a problem statewide, Brooks said.

Other shelters have expanded to meet the need. The Animal Refuge League in Westbrook completed a $6.5 million facility in 2016, the Kennebec Valley Humane Society in Augusta finished an $8 million building in 2023 and, according to the Bangor Daily News, the Central Aroostook Humane Society in Presque Isle moved into a new $940,000 building at the end of 2024. Midcoast Humane is exploring building a new shelter in Lincoln County.

“It’s not just us,” Brooks said. “It’s every shelter in the state of Maine that’s experiencing this problem.”

What exactly has prompted the recent uptick in dogs landing in the shelter is unclear to Brooks, though she said the problem began in 2022, two years after the COVID-19 pandemic began.

Brooks suspects that one factor at play is that economic challenges in the region have forced some people to move to housing that does not allow pets, while leaving others homeless.

Previously, about 4 out of every 5 dogs brought to the shelter by animal control officers were reclaimed by owners, Brooks said. Now, that rate is about 50%, indicating more dogs are being abandoned rather than simply lost.

“Before, it used to be like, you could pick out the dogs, and be like, ‘An owner is coming for that dog,’” Brooks said. “We still get dogs that look that good and in that condition, and owners don’t come. That’s what makes me think that a lot of times that it’s out of desperation.”

Bonnie Brooks, Somerset Humane Society executive director, seen Monday at the facility in Skowhegan, says the organization is seeing an unprecedented increase in surrendered dogs. “This is very different for us,” says Brooks, a Somerset County native. “We’ve never had to really experience this major overload of dogs.” Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel

Brooks also suspects that an increase in “backyard breeding” in the early days of the pandemic, as loneliness drove demand for pets and financial needs led some to get into the business, is also part of the issue. People often decide they do not want their pets when the animal is an adolescent, she said, which matches the timeline of the sudden increase in 2022.

“Something major happened,” Brooks said. “And the only thing I can think of is COVID.”

To make matters worse, Brooks said, backed-up veterinarian clinics have resulted in lengthy waits for spaying and neutering, a requirement for the humane society to let an animal be adopted. That leaves dogs that could be adopted waiting in kennels.

And an “astronomical” number of dogs come to the shelter with tick-borne diseases like Lyme and anaplasmosis, Brooks said, which means they must undergo a 30-day antibiotic treatment before being spayed or neutered.

‘This place is done’

Concerns about animal control were brought to the attention of Somerset County officials in September. The town of Norridgewock requested the county consider supporting a regional effort, including the possibility of a county-funded animal control officer position.

County officials convened a committee of animal control officers, municipal and county officials, and law enforcement, which met twice in October and November.

Animal control officers reported a rising increase in calls since the pandemic began, according to a December report written by County Administrator Tim Curtis.

“Animal control in Somerset (County) may not be in crisis, but it is certainly beyond the capacity of the current infrastructure,” Curtis wrote in the committee’s initial conclusions.

Kelly Williams, right, guest coordinator at the Somerset Humane Society in Skowhegan, assists Crystal Bassett, left, and her husband, Drew Bassett of Winslow, as they adopt two cats Dec. 16. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel

The committee further concluded that a regional animal control officer was not the solution. Instead, it recommended municipalities raise animal control officer pay, and promote and support spay and neutering programs.

County officials also said they would work with the Somerset Humane Society on strategic planning for a new facility. Curtis said at a meeting Dec. 18 that he and some commissioners plan to attend the next meeting of the humane society’s board of directors in February.

The county has a financial interest in addressing the shelter’s issues. In 2022, the county’s Board of Commissioners allocated $250,000 toward a facility expansion project, according to Curtis. As of December, $150,000 has been paid.

“At the very least, a discussion is needed to see how some of the remaining funds promised by the County can best be utilized to jump start a facility expansion,” Curtis wrote.

Brooks said that in addition to the $150,000 from the county, there is approximately $600,000 set aside in a trust specifically for a new building project. The estate of a local man who died has also contributed about $175,000, and more funds are expected as his other properties are sold.

Otherwise, as a nonprofit, the humane society relies on a combination of grants, donations, adoption fees and fees charged to municipalities to cover its operating expenses. The municipality fee was increased from $1.79 to $2.50 per capita two years ago to cover rising operating costs, according to Brooks.

It is too early to put a price tag on a new facility or say if it would be located at the current property on the Middle Road, Brooks said. Increases in maintenance and staffing costs would need to be factored in, too.

But Brooks is certain the building must be replaced entirely, rather than expanded or renovated.

The building’s electrical system had to be re-wired a few years ago due to fire concerns, and there are other code, maintenance and safety issues that would be costly to address, Brooks said. A finicky heating system roasts cat spaces and freezes dog areas in the winter.

“This place is done,” she said.

Along with more space, must-haves for a new facility include space for a vet clinic to better offer spaying and neutering services, and a better layout and infrastructure for isolating sick animals to prevent contamination. Also, there is need for a break room, which staff do not have, and offices that are not in closets.

“Animal shelters are a relatively new thing in society,” Brooks said. “It’s kind of having growing pains. You went from being a pound to an animal shelter, humane society, and now we’re working towards, what is the next step for animal shelters? How are they going to help and also make the community better at the same time, rather than being the place where people dread to take their animal?”