Buddy is 97 pounds, with long hair and deep brown eyes. He drags his toes slightly on walks, as if he’s strutting on a runway.

The 3-year-old German Shepherd mix was recently surrendered to the Montgomery County Animal Services and Adoption Center (MCASAC) by his owner, who cited a loss of income and his landlord‘s new policy forbidding tenants from owning a dog of Buddy’s size and type.

Buddy is one of nearly 2,000 pets surrendered in Montgomery County this summer, and part of a steep increase in animals dropped off at its Derwood shelter, according to the data collected by MCASAC.

From June 2023 to July 2025, surrenders jumped 40%. The bulk of that spike is attributable to large dogs like Buddy — which are generally more expensive to care for than cats and smaller dogs.

Maria Anselmo, the shelter’s spokesperson, said a rougher local economy is why many more people have been giving up their pets.

They’re “stuck having to choose between having a roof over their and their children’s head, and a roof over their dog’s head,” said Anselmo.

Taking into account staffing and space limits, the Derwood shelter can care for 77 dogs. But this year, the shelter’s average daily dog population has hovered at 100, according to Maria Anselmo, its community relations manager.

At over 95 dogs, shelter staff are unable to keep up with cleaning, feeding and interacting with each animal, she said. Each pet is more susceptible to disease and stress.

This year, an average of 40 dogs are entering the shelter every week, through surrenders, strays and confiscations.

Staff at Montgomery County shelters — and many others in the region — fear they will reach a point where they will have to turn animals away. They also worry that they will have to euthanize dogs which, in less crowded conditions, would get more time to be rehabilitated for physical and behavior problems.

Why more people are surrendering their dogs

For many Marylanders, pet ownership is now unaffordable.

The Trump administration’s recent cutbacks have hit hard in the state, which has lost more federal jobs than any in the nation. And Montgomery County residents in a recent Banner poll said a lack of affordable housing is the county’s most pressing problem.

A growing share of renters in Montgomery County are likely contributing to the overcrowding in shelters. That sector of the housing market has grown from 32% to nearly 40% of all households during the past ten years, and more tenants are paying over $3,000 in monthly rent, according to survey data from the U.S. Census.

Unlike private homes, many rentals come with pet policies. Landlords often charge a fee for pet ownership, and restrict the size and breed of dogs. More people living in rentals means more people are facing these restrictions.

Even for homeowners, having a breed with a reputation for aggressiveness can mean higher insurance rates.

Pet owners beyond Montgomery County are also struggling to keep their pets, and filling shelters to capacity.

In Anne Arundel County, director of Animal Services Claudia Roll said people dropping off animals talk about rising veterinary and housing costs and other economic pressures that make pet ownership unaffordable. Their shelter takes in between two to 10 dogs a day, she said, as adoption rates decline.

And the reasons that people give up a pet also make it less likely that others will adopt one.

“We have been having the same issues as most public shelters: too many animals coming in and not enough are going out,” said Linda Lowe, spokesperson for the Department of the Environment in Prince George’s County.

Dozens of the region’s private nonprofit rescue shelters work with public shelters to house animals. But they, too, are facing overcrowding.

“All day, every day, we get requests for relinquishments,” said Cris Bombaugh, who heads Montgomery County’s Humane Society. “Our capacity to help, and that of other animal welfare groups, doesn’t match demand right now.”

Bombaugh noted that many spots in its shelter are filled by animals that had been adopted, but have been returned by people who can’t afford them.

How shelters are trying to help

Staff at public and private nonprofit shelters in and around Montgomery County say they are doing what they can to support families so they can keep their pets.

MCASAC and the Humane Society offer low-cost spaying, neutering and vaccinations.

MCASAC also offers free behavior consultations with certified personal dog trainers.

Pet food pantries are held on the first Sunday of every month from 9-10 a.m. at the MCASAC, and on the first and third Saturday of every month from 7:30-8:30 a.m. at the Shrine of St. Jude Thaddeus Catholic Church in Rockville.

Bombaugh said the Montgomery County Humane Society’s pet thrift store receive more donations by the day. But it’s a sign of the times, he continued, that a pantry “generously stocked” with pet food runs out every week.

What does shelter overcrowding look like?

Roll said the worst-case scenario for Anne Arundel County’s shelter is when staff don’t know if they can adequately care for the stream of surrendered animals. It means staff are scrambling to find foster homes and reaching out to rescue partners in Northern Virginia to find places for dogs and cats.

One additional complication for the Prince George’s shelter, since Pit Bull Terriers cannot legally be owned or fostered by county residents, is that the shelter must find rescue groups outside the county to place these dogs, said Lowe.

For Montgomery County’s shelter, having more dogs than it can comfortably handle means some are in kennels that are far smaller than ideal — forcing dogs to defecate close to where they sleep. And with too many dogs, staff said, it becomes nearly impossible to give each dog a walk three times a day — the shelter’s goal.

“Your dog’s walk isn’t for you, it’s their walk,” said Anselmo. Time spent outside, whether it is five minutes sniffing a patch of grass or playing catch, Anselmo continued, is crucial for a dog’s well being.

While the number of adopted pets has increased by 547 this past year, the number of dogs adopted has only increased by 144, according to data collected by MCASAC. This August’s free adoptions event saw 25 dogs adopted out, which is half as many as last year.

Cats, kittens and small dogs are typically adopted quickly, said Anselmo. Her biggest worry is the prolonged shelter stays of large dogs: including German shepherds, pit bull mixes, rottweilers and Labradors — breeds that bear the brunt of tightening renter restrictions and higher costs of care.

“This isn’t a home,” said Anselmo. “We do our best to make sure they [dogs] are happy and stress-free, but this is a stressful place.”

The shelter needs to adopt out or find foster homes for about 40 dogs a week to avoid the worst overcrowding, she added. Fortunately for Buddy, the long-haired, soft-eyed German shepherd, he just found a home.

Patrick McCaslin, data reporter at The Banner, contributed to this report.