ABOUT TANYA HILGENDORF:
Tanya’s been leading HSHV since 2005. With a BA in Political Science and a master's in social work administration and public policy and having served as Executive Director of Ozone House, her passion centers on protecting the vulnerable (human and non-human animals) and transformational leadership that helps nonprofit organizations achieve mission success.
With an incredible team of staff, volunteers, and supporters, HSHV has become a thriving, dynamic animal welfare organization with a multi-service organization, with 100+ employees, 2000+ volunteers, and a 97%+ save rate focused on rescuing, healing, saving, and protecting animals and supporting the community.
Tanya currently is the proud mom of a number of wonderful animals and a beautiful, brilliant human.
RESOURCES:
Humane Society of Huron Valley (HSHV)
TRANSCRIPTION:
David Fair: This is 89 one WEMU. And today, we're going to talk about animal adoption--dog adoption in particular. I'm David Fair, and welcome to this week's edition of Washtenaw United. Over the last few years, there's been a decline in the number of dog adoptions nationwide. Locally, there were 10% less dog adoptions from the Humane Society of Huron Valley than in 2023. Additionally, there's been a decline in the number of stray dogs that end up reunited with their owners in Washtenaw County. We wanted to find out why. And who better to ask than Tanya Hilgendorf? Tanya is president of the Humane Society of Huron Valley. And thank you for making time for the conversation today! I appreciate it!
Tanya Hilgendorf: Thank you, Dave! I'm delighted to be here and appreciate you covering this topic!
David Fair: While I was taking a peek at your web page and learned that the organization facilitated 5200 animal adoptions in 2024, how many of those were dogs?
Tanya Hilgendorf: Probably about 2000 are dogs. So, we have more cat and kitten adoptions than we do dog adoptions because we have more cats and kittens coming in than we do dogs.
David Fair: But even at around 2000, as I mentioned at the outset, that's down about 10% from 2023 levels, right?
Tanya Hilgendorf: Yeah, it is. And it's a pretty sad and troubling trend that we're seeing really across the country. We have that slogan. It's an old slogan: "Adopt. Don't shop." But it had a really important message behind it that we want to try to bring back. One of the things that we see is that because, in some ways, the industry has had a lot of change and been very successful in the no-kill movement. We are a no-kill shelter ourselves. But I think because of that, people feel less compelled to adopt. So, you may remember, Dave, a far less polite, more shaming phrase: "Buy a dog. Kill a dog."
David Fair: I do remember.
Tanya Hilgendorf: Yes. Right?
David Fair: Not so fondly either. Right.
Tanya Hilgendorf: Yes. No, no, it's not great. We don't want to shame people. But the truth is, we can only be a no-kill shelter because people adopt. And right now, all shelters need more adopters. Their shelters are really overcrowded. So, thankfully, with our kitties, we're seeing a wonderful success story. Just ten years ago, three out of four cats died in shelters. Tragic. So, we're just doing way better than that nationally. Dogs--much better, too. But over the last few years, our shelters are really struggling and seeing some pretty sad setbacks. So, we see not just a decline in adoptions, as you said, for adult dogs, but really more dogs coming in, more dogs in need, more owners who can't keep their animals. And the challenges--we as shelters need a pretty simple formula. We need more animals leaving than we have coming in. And right now, we have the opposite. We have that imbalance of more coming in than are leaving. And that's not just an issue of no room at the inn, right? That's about being overfull in shelters. That causes basically a cascade of problems. So, we see an increase in disease spread. And just like people, you see an increase in stress, and dogs in a fight-or-flight mode are often more likely to get sick and to have behavior problems that make them appear less adoptable. They see more behavior problems. And then you get on top of that, you know, these animals with these much greater needs. Then you have staff burnout and turnover and compassion fatigue, more injuries. And then, the most tragic part is that we are seeing an increase in euthanasia across the country with some shelters now killing again just for space. And we had really many places have gotten out of that and making that kind of very tragic, traumatic decision.
David Fair: And you're not there.
Tanya Hilgendorf: You know, we thank God that we are not there. I should thank our community of supporters we are not there, because we are not there because of how much incredible support we get from the community and the owners and volunteers and fosters. So, that makes a huge difference. But we have seen an increase in animals with more serious need, so euthanasia based on animals coming in very sick. And then, we also see animals waiting to get in. So, people needing to surrender their animals, we put them on a waitlist. So, we're never going to kill an animal to make room for another animal. That really doesn't make any sense. But if someone says I can't keep my pet, we might put them on a waiting list. And that's really hard too. So, we never want to have that waiting list.
David Fair: Our Washtenaw United conversation on dog adoption continues on 89 one WEMU. And our guest today is Tanya Hilgendorf. She is president of the Humane Society of Huron Valley. And I want to go further down the cascading issues that come with overcrowding. I don't know if folks understand the volume of animals your organization deals with. On pure size, you're one of the largest shelters in Michigan. And when it comes to the number of animals you serve, you are the biggest in the state of Michigan. There is a significant cost to having that. And you mentioned the generosity of the community. But what happens to your budget when you have to shelter more dogs and more animals for more extended periods of time?
Tanya Hilgendorf: Well, obviously, Dave, just as you're saying, it's a bigger drain because the animals have greater needs. So, veterinary expenses really drive way up. And veterinary expenses actually are one of the main reasons that we are seeing this overcrowding.
David Fair: And in part because there's just not enough veterinarians to go around.
Tanya Hilgendorf: There are not enough veterinarians. So, we have basically the same number of veterinarians that we had 50 years ago graduating. But pet ownership is probably doubled since then. You know, Michigan, for example, has one vet school and 5 million pets. So, we definitely do not have it, and vet to do a lot more than take care of pets as well, right? So, we do not have enough vets. And then, that creates greater demand, which increases prices, makes a longer wait. And then, on top of that you may not know that the vet hospitals are being eaten up by corporations and private equity firms.
David Fair: Just like people.
Tanya Hilgendorf: Just like people. So, their sole focus is profit, right? They don't care if somebody can't pay their bill and will have to relinquish their animal. And we know that Americans--a lot of Americans--are suffering and don't have a lot of money in savings. So, they will be forced--are forced--to relinquish a beloved family member because they can't afford an emergency or to take care of a sick animal. The economy is also just a really big piece of this. Homelessness and abuse is inextricably tied to human, social and economic injustice. When people are struggling, it's harder for them to own a pet. We see more things like backyard breeding for folks trying to make an extra buck.
David Fair: Are puppy mills still a thing?
Tanya Hilgendorf: Puppy mills are a huge and terrible thing, Dave. So, for folks who do have resources, we need them to really work hard to stay out of the pet stores and not buy online. So, you may not know this. This is the "don't shop" part of this story, Dave, is that you're not just saving homeless and abused animals, but we need you to stop feeding the beast. And that beast is the puppy mill industry. We have 10,000 puppy mills in this country--10,000! Only 3000, actually, are under the very mild regulations of the USDA. So, very minimal regulations, very minimal oversight and, as you know now with the current administration, that's only going to get worse, which is a pretty frightening thought. We don't have a lot of pet stores left. But the puppy mill industry has been Amazoned. So, people now go to a website, they push a button, and they have a living being shipped from across the country to their front door.
David Fair: Sight unseen!
Tanya Hilgendorf: Sight unseen! And so, there's a tremendous amount of fraud and scams in the industry. Puppies not really for sale, just being faked out. [
David Fair: Or really sick puppies showing up. Yeah.
Tanya Hilgendorf: Exactly. And what we want people to know is, even if you get a great puppy, you spend a couple thousand dollars for an animal that came from basically a house of horrors because that animal came from a puppy mill. And maybe your puppy got out, but his or her mom did not. And so, we really need people thinking, just like with a fur coat, Dave, the fur industry has declined significantly because people know if I buy a fur coat, I'm supporting outright and perfectly legal torture. You need that same kind of awareness.
David Fair: I know that overcrowding continues to be an issue, and you are serving more animals than ever. The Humane Society of Huron Valley holds adoption events. I know that every day is a potential adoption day, but will there be some organized adoption drives this year that perhaps people can reduce the cost of taking home an animal? [00:10:38][19.5]
Tanya Hilgendorf: [00:10:40] Absolutely! So, we regularly have free adoption special. So, often, we partner with the Bissell Foundation, who will sponsor partly the cost of adoption. So, yes, we can absolutely reduce the amount--the upfront amount--of adopting an animal. We don't really rely heavily on those adoption fees because our goal is to get animals adopted. But we have folks who have to know that animals are an ongoing expense, and they have to be prepared for that ongoing expense, right? Animals bring a little hassle, and they require some patience. But there's nothing compared to the unconditional love of a dog or cat.
David Fair: That is certainly true!
Tanya Hilgendorf: That is priceless! Yeah!
David Fair: Well, sometimes, folks walk in with a particular dog breed in mind and leave without a dog because it wasn't available. I'm kind of the mind that, like people, dogs are individuals, and we can have the relationship we want with most dogs. Am I off base?
Tanya Hilgendorf: No, you're completely on base. We know the research says that dogs are individuals. That personalities are not based on breeds. Breeds kind of tell us what a dog is going to look like for sure. But personalities vary between dog to dog to dog. You know, one of the things we see lately is this doodle craze, right? And I love all dogs, but what we call, quote unquote, designer breeds are just expensive mutts, right? A dog is a dog, right? And so, again, we want people to stay out of those pet stores and buying animals online and always consider adopting. And if folks aren't adopting, then we want them to research. You can go to a small family breeder and make sure you see the living conditions, make sure you see conditions of mom and dad dogs. Like, you need to see with your eyes and feel like, "Great! Yes! These dogs are loved!" Never believe a website or someone on the phone or someone in a text or an email. You have to see that with your eyes and confirm.
David Fair: Well, I would be remiss, Tanya, if I didn't take note of an important occasion. You began with the Humane Society of Huron Valley back in 2005. So, at some point this year, you're going to celebrate your 20th anniversary. What keeps you going in this arena of work?
Tanya Hilgendorf: Dave, it is an incredible honor to do this work. It is hard work. I'm not going to lie. It is emotionally challenging and can be quite draining. But it's a privilege to be able, for me, to use my power to protect those who can't protect themselves. That's why I'm here. And that's what I think is most important. And there's so many other people doing the same thing. And I think that's kind of why we're here on the planet, right, to protect those who can't protect themselves.
David Fair: As well as our time together comes to an end, I assume that the final words you want to share with all of us is "Adopt. Don't shop."
Tanya Hilgendorf: Exactly! Yes, Dave! There are four ways to help. You can volunteer, you can foster, you can donate, and you can adopt, don't shop, please. Thank you!
David Fair: Well, congratulations on your anniversary year! And thank you for the conversation and the information!
Tanya Hilgendorf: Thank you so much, Dave! I really appreciate it!
David Fair: That is Tanya Hilgendorf. She is president of the Humane Society of Huron Valley. If you want to adopt and if you want to learn more about all of the services the Huron Valley Humane Society offers, then just head to our web page at wemu.org, and we'll have all the links you need available to you. Washtenaw United is produced in partnership with the United Way for Southeastern Michigan, and we bring it to you every Monday. I'm David Fair, and this is your community NPR station 89 one WEMU FM Ypsilanti. Celebrating 60 years of broadcasting from the campus of Eastern Michigan University!
WEMU has partnered with the United Way for Southeastern Michigan to explore the people, organizations, and institutions creating opportunity and equity in our area. And, as part of this ongoing series, you’ll also hear from the people benefiting and growing from the investments being made in the areas of our community where there are gaps in available services. It is a community voice. It is 'Washtenaw United.'
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