The kennels at Sacramento’s Front Street Animal Shelter are filled beyond capacity, and officials are making a desperate plea to the community: now is the time to adopt. To help save lives, the shelter is waiving all adoption fees for dogs and puppies from Wednesday through Sunday.
Every available dog—whether at the shelter or in foster care—can go home at no cost. Shelter staff say they have completely run out of space, and with new dogs arriving daily under the city’s open-admission policy, the situation has reached a breaking point. They stress that the shelter cannot continue its lifesaving work unless families step forward to adopt or foster.
Rows of kennels now hold countless dogs as well as puppies full of energy, seniors longing for quiet homes, large breeds, lap dogs, and everything in between. Each one has a story, and each is waiting for someone willing to give them a chance.
The Front Street Animal Shelter serves as the City of Sacramento’s primary animal care facility. It takes in thousands of lost, stray, and surrendered animals every year. As an open-admission shelter, it accepts all animals regardless of health or circumstance, and it partners with the nonprofit Friends of Front Street to expand its reach through community programs, foster networks, and veterinary care. The shelter also offers adoption counseling to match families with pets, a “Doggie Day Out” program to get dogs out of kennels for exercise and exposure, and foster opportunities that give animals a safe place to stay until they find permanent homes. All of these programs depend heavily on community participation.
The overcrowding crisis at Front Street reflects a larger national trend. According to Best Friends Animal Society, about 5.8 million dogs and cats entered U.S. shelters last year, while only about 4.1 million were adopted. Shelter Animals Count, a national database, reported that more than 322,000 more animals were taken in than left shelters in the first half of 2024 alone. Financial challenges remain one of the most common barriers to adoption, with a recent survey showing that veterinary costs and adoption fees are major concerns for families. By waiving fees this week, Front Street hopes to remove at least one of those obstacles and give every dog a better chance at finding a home.
Despite these challenges, progress is being made nationally. The percentage of animals leaving shelters alive has risen from 71 percent in 2016 to about 83 percent in 2024. Advocates believe that reaching a no-kill nation is possible, but only if more families step up to adopt or foster.
At Front Street, adoption counselors are available daily from noon to 5 p.m. to help families through the process and guide them toward the right match. For those unable to commit long-term, fostering is also a vital option, providing relief to overcrowded kennels while helping staff learn more about each animal’s behavior in a home setting.
The shelter’s message is simple: every adoption and every foster opens space for another animal in need. Without help from the community, the consequences of overcrowding are dire.
For more information or to view adoptable dogs, visit the Front Street Animal Shelter website. This week, opening your home could mean the difference between life and death for a dog waiting behind shelter walls.
Copyright © 2025, Folsom Times, a digital product of All Town Media LLC. All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
