Miami-Dade Animal Services is sounding the alarm — their shelters are beyond capacity, and they’re asking South Florida residents to step up in a big way.

With space for just 350 dogs, the shelter is currently housing over 550, forcing many pups to share cramped kennels with limited interaction. “We’ve been over capacity for over two years,” said Annette Jose, director of Miami-Dade Animal Services. “This is a challenge that requires community collaboration.”

To ease the overcrowding, the shelter is urging locals to consider fostering or volunteering, even temporarily. Jose says summer is the perfect time: “Teachers are off, college kids are home — come take a dog for the season. Let them enjoy a cool home, maybe even get adopted.”

Even short-term help makes a difference. A weekend foster, a walk at the park, or a coffee run with a pup in an “Adopt Me” vest can boost a dog’s visibility and well-being.

One dog, Logan, has spent 18 months in the shelter. He’s gentle, good with others, and just needs daily eyedrops — and a loving home.

“This is not where a pet should live,” Jose says. “They belong in homes, not cages.”