10/13/2025
Over the weekend, our friends at Maui Humane Society shared an important message to the community.
It’s a heartbreaking reality. It’s no secret that animal shelters across the state and the country are overcrowded. This crisis has endured for nearly 5 years. It has many root causes that lead back to humans, community, and society: lack of accessible pet-inclusive housing, unethical breeding and the commoditization of animals (and no plan for placement once animals are born), willfully opting not to spay or neuter pets (and permitting them to roam), irresponsible pet ownership (including abandonment), the economy…
When headlines like the one from Maui Humane circulate, it’s natural to become reactive, to try to identify untapped solutions, and to feel overwhelmed and defeated. Those of us working in animal shelters feel the same — it. never. ends. Alleviating this crisis means paying attention and taking action every day — not just when it hits the news. Instead of placing blame on those of us showing up to do the work day in and day out, let’s come together to make incremental shifts that make a difference.
The good news? You ✨CAN✨ be part of the solution.
You can:
📣 Cheer on the animals and our lifesaving work from behind your screens.
💬 Leave supportive, kind, and uplifting comments.
📱 Share our posts far and wide.
🗯️ Tell your friends about the many wonderful animals that are waiting to be adopted at your local animal shelter.
🗣️ Educate those in your own life and advocate for responsible pet ownership.
😻 Volunteer to clean kennels, wash dishes, fold laundry, walk dogs, or even sit and hang out with our cats and feed them churus, wave their feather wands, and tell them stories.
🌴 Take a shelter dog out for their best day ever through our Field Trips for Shelter Dogs program.
💸 Consider giving a monetary donation that helps to mitigate the constant stress of funding our lifesaving work. Every dollar counts.
🐾 Care for little tiny vulnerable babies or give a shelter pet a kennel break by fostering.
🐕 Find your new best friend through the magic of adoption.
YOU. CAN.
Get involved at hihs.org
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(Hawaii Island Humane Society (HIHS) is a private nonprofit organization, operating limited admission shelters. To that end, we are able to manage our own Capacity for Care. We have the privilege of not having to euthanize for time nor space. When we are at capacity (as we always are), we are able to freeze intakes. However, that is a crisis in and of itself. We have remained stalwart in our commitment to our partners at County of Hawaii Animal Control, with the majority of our animals coming into our care through that partnership — thereby helping to reduce euthanasia rates in Hawaii County. Without adoptions, intakes stop and we are unable to help more animals in need. If you are looking to enrich your life with the companionship of a pet, please opt to adopt from your local animal shelter.)
