In the Midwest, We Cannot Adopt Our Way Out of this Animal Welfare Crisis

Adoption is vital—it is just not enough.

After more than 20 years working in animal welfare, I am asked the same well-meaning question almost daily: “How can we help animals in need?”

Most people expect the answer to be adoption. And while adoption is vital—it is not enough.

In Sioux Falls and the rural communities around us, animal welfare organizations are working harder than ever. Shelters and rescues, including our ARC Allies, are finding homes for animals at impressive rates. The Sioux Falls Area Humane Society alone has already placed more than 1,300 animals this year—and still, more animals arrive every day. This is not a failure of compassion. It is a system under strain.

The truth is simple: we cannot adopt our way out of a problem that is growing faster than we can respond. The root of this crisis is not a lack of caring families—it is a lack of access to affordable veterinary care.

Especially in rural communities, far too many pets are still having unplanned litters. Not because families don’t care, but because they cannot access or afford routine services. Long travel distances and cost barriers make even basic care—like vaccinations or spay and neuter—difficult to obtain. When access is limited, the consequences compound quickly. Unplanned litters increase shelter and rescue intake. Preventable conditions go untreated. Families who love their pets are forced into heartbreaking decisions—not because they want to surrender them, but because they feel they have no other option.

If we want to reduce animal suffering, we must shift from reaction to prevention.

Spay and neuter is the single most effective tool we have. It stops the cycle before it starts, reduces pressure on shelters and rescues, and helps families keep the pets they love. Prevention is not only more humane—it is more sustainable.

That shift is already happening in our work, but it needs community support to grow. At the Hanson Family Foundation, through the Animal Resource Center (ARC) and Pet Wellness Veterinary Hospital (PWVH), we are working to close the access gap by removing barriers like cost and distance. In April, we opened South Dakota’s first nonprofit veterinary hospital. Since then, hundreds of pets have received care, and dozens of families have been able to keep their animals because treatment was made accessible through pay-over-time options and financial assistance. These are not abstract outcomes—they are real lives changed. This is what prevention looks like.

Later this month, we will expand this work with the opening of our main hospital, and a second nonprofit veterinary hospital in Sioux Falls—another step toward meeting the growing need in our region.

But despite this progress, demand continues to outpace capacity.

Every day, we meet responsible pet owners doing their best—families who want to prevent litters, seek care early, and provide for their animals. What they need is access.

This is where our community faces a choice. We can continue reacting—working tirelessly to keep up with rising shelter intake. Or we can invest in preventing the crisis from escalating in the first place.

The path forward is clear. If we want fewer animals entering shelters…If we want to keep pets with the families who love them…

If we want a more humane and sustainable system… Then we must invest in access to care, especially in the Midwest and the Sioux Falls area.

And this is where community leadership matters most. Local leaders—elected officials, business owners, and philanthropic partners—have the ability to shape a different future. By prioritizing funding for spay and neuter, supporting nonprofit veterinary models, like ours, and investing in rural outreach, leaders can move our region from crisis response to lasting solutions.

This is not just an animal welfare issue—it is a community issue. Keeping pets with their families strengthens households, supports well-being, and reduces strain on local systems. We need leaders who recognize prevention as essential infrastructure. We need partnerships that expand access in underserved areas. And we need action—now. Each surgery prevents future litters. Each clinic expands access. Each investment keeps a pet with its family.

This work is ongoing. It is urgent. And it is possible—if we choose to prioritize prevention together. We cannot adopt our way out of this crisis. With bold leadership and community commitment—we can prevent it.