A 10-month-old American Staffordshire terrier barrels across the play yard, his football-sized head leading the way as a red leash drags behind him.
An orange collar marked "L/XL" in black Sharpie hugs his neck as he darts after a fly. He leaps, lands awkwardly on his back, then springs to his feet as if nothing happened, tail wagging as he takes off again.
Just a few months ago, Kylo belonged to a family. Now, after being surrendered for repeatedly wandering off their property, he joins dozens of dogs waiting at the Bloomington Animal Shelter for someone to foster or adopt them.
The Bloomington Animal Shelter can comfortably house between 50 and 60 dogs, according to Outreach and Behavior Coordinator Emily Herr. Right now, she estimates there are more than 100.
“It’s too many,” she said. “Way too many.”
The shelter is currently caring for 343 animals, including around 200 cats, more than 100 dogs and three rabbits.
Herr said overcrowding puts stress on both staff and animals.
"There's a lot more behavioral challenges that we see simply because, you know, the pressure of space," Herr said.
Summer is typically the shelter's busiest season. Herr said litters of puppies and kittens increase the number of animals coming through the doors, while many student foster volunteers leave Bloomington, reducing the number of temporary homes available.
“Teachers and people like that who typically don't do a lot of fostering throughout the year, they might pop in more during the summer and take on fosters,” Herr said.
Most animals arrive as strays or surrenders, Herr said. While cats and kittens are generally adopted or fostered quickly, finding homes for dogs is much more difficult.
“The need is for people who are able to stay around for the summer to kind of help take in that influx of dogs,” Director of Animal Care and Control Virgil Sauder said.
Larger breed dogs are the most impacted by surrenders, according to Sauder. They are also the hardest to place because of size and breed restrictions for renters.
“If you come to the shelter, you can walk through the kennels, and you can kind of see, just based on the size, most of the dogs we get in are ones that are harder to find a home,” Sauder said.
In the kennels at the back of the shelter, papers identifying dog after dog read "Bully Breed Mix."
Some are good with children. Others do well with cats. In Kylo’s case, he is house-trained and good with dogs.
“He's one of the sweetest, most social dogs out there,” Herr said. “He wants to say hello to absolutely everyone he walks past, and definitely solicits pets. He’s a very sweet boy.”
An adoption event is taking place at 5 p.m. tonight at the shelter. Adult cats and dogs can be adopted for no fee and animals under 6 months old will be half priced.
Sauder said potential adopters should look beyond appearances and behavior expected from certain breeds and instead get to know the dog.
“If you're looking to adopt, don't look by how the dog looks, look by how the dog acts,” Sauder said. “Take it out, take a chance on it, get that connection, and try, because they are individuals.”
