Joliet’s Hopeful Tails Animal Rescue has just had its tenth year anniversary celebration on Nov 4. However, Rhonda Gentile-Colon; a founder of Hopeful Tails, worries that the pet shelter is in danger due to low adoption rates.

The main problem is the cost for pet health going up for procedures such as, spay, neuter, vaccinations, etc. This leads to pet adoption fees getting higher and people not being able to afford to adopt. Rhonda Gentile-Colon states, “Our adoption rates are down 65%, We are so month-to-month right now.” The U.S. currently has a veterinary shortage, which means even more of a challenge to get appointments for the dogs. 

Another factor is inflation causing people to lower their spending. Pet product prices are increasing along with everything else. This means that people are having trouble affording pets right now, so there are more pets going into shelters right now. The Humane Society states that, “People are often forced to choose between meeting their own needs and the needs of their pets, and too often they completely lack access to veterinary care, pet inclusive housing, and other vital pet resources like food and supplies”. Due to people not being able to care for their pets anymore, the shelter is full and struggling to find homes for these animals.

You can support the shelter by adopting, fostering, volunteering, and donating. The shelter has many dogs in their care, you can view them by going to their website, hopeful tails animal rescue.org. If you want to adopt, an appointment has to be made before you can go. You must be at least 21 to adopt. The shelter has an upcoming meet and greet adoption event on Sunday, Nov. 26 It starts at 2pm and the shelter is discounting the adoption fee by $25. They are located at 2303 Oak Leaf Street, Joliet.