Stanwood animal shelter faces rising intake, dwindling resources heading into 2025

In Stanwood, 2024 is closing out with more barks and the bite of what’s to come.

“I think it’s going to be worse,” says Sara Bradshaw when asked about shelter challenges in 2025. Bradshaw is the operations director at The NOAH Center. They’re a shelter already struggling to do more with less.

“There’s limited food. There’s limited space. I’ve had to say no to cats and dogs because there’s no place for them to sleep,” says Bradshaw.

This year brought more animals to NOAH. More than 100 additional shelter intakes than the shelter saw in 2023. Their 2024 foster intakes also increased, with 463 cats and 246 dogs than in the year prior.

Other shelters in Washington are also seeing a similar influx. It’s unsustainable, says Bradshaw.

“We are seeing some shelters and rescues close. It has been really hard.  And what you’re going to see is an increase in what people like to call kill shelters,” says Bradshaw.

Driving the animal crisis is an influx of surrenders, as well as animal overpopulation.

Bradshaw says illegal or ‘backyard’ breeding has contributed to more litters, as well as more animals with birth defects in their care.

“He has an abnormal left leg. And was given the name ‘Lefty,’” says Bradshaw about one of their latest intakes.

Lefty is a brindle male dog who was surrendered this month. His growing medical needs were too costly for his family.

But Lefty’s medical bills are also too costly for the shelter. NOAH has seen its donations decrease by more than a million dollars compared to 2023.

Bradshaw says sometimes the shelter is forced to delay care when they can’t afford it.

“What do you do when you run out of resources? When your team is exhausted, and you don’t have anything else to give?” asks Bradshaw.

She and others at the NOAH Center are asking for community support in the year ahead. In addition to donations, they’re also seeking people to adopt or volunteer.

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