SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — San Diego's Humane Society has taken in nearly 20 pets over the past several months after their owners were detained or deported, adding pressure to a shelter system that has been overcrowded for years.
The organization says 18 pets, cats, and dogs, from 11 owners, have been surrendered by neighbors or friends of people impacted by local immigration enforcement since June 2025. Six of those animals remain in the shelter's care, including four that are ready for adoption.
Among them is Tita, a 4-year-old Chihuahua whose owners were deported. There is also Cata, a 3-year-old pit mix who has been at the shelter since last October.
"Our pets are our family, so any time an owner has to give up their animal, it breaks our hearts," said Nina Thompson, the director of public relations at the San Diego Humane Society.
The shelter says it first began noticing the trend nearly a year ago.
"We started seeing some animals come into our care in June of 2025," said Thompson.
In most cases, the animals were brought in by people close to the original owners.
"Folks who came to us stated that it was either a friend who was deported or a neighbor who was deported, and the pets were left behind," said Thompson.
The San Diego Humane Society currently has more than 1,200 pets in its care across all of its campuses, and over 700 are available for adoption. Local rescue groups, including Spot Rescue, say they are feeling the added strain as well.
"We've never seen that before," said Faye Schultz, the president of SPOT Rescue.
"Overtaxed, overcrowded, overburdened system, and now you're adding this element on top of it too, which makes it worse," added Schultz.
For dogs surrendered due to deportation, the Humane Society still conducts a verification process to confirm that the original owner is no longer reachable. The animals receive medical care, spay-and-neuter procedures if necessary, and microchipping and vaccines before becoming available for adoption.
Officials also acknowledge that the full scope of the issue may be difficult to measure.
"There may be other pets in our care who are with us because their owners were deported, and we simply don't know," a representative said.
The Humane Society also recommends that people have a plan for who could care for their pets in case they're affected by immigration enforcement.
Anyone interested in adopting or fostering a pet is encouraged to contact the San Diego Humane Society. Pets whose owners were deported include Tita, Cata, and Lika.
