For nearly 2 months, citizens have tracked how many animals are available for adoption at Sheriff Judd’s Polk County Animal Control

By Coalition for Animal Rights and Education in Polk County Florida

For nearly 2 months, citizens have tracked how many animals are available for adoption at Sheriff Judd’s Polk County Animal Control.

Today’s numbers may be the most alarming yet:

05/21/2026

𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝟭 𝗰𝗮𝘁 available for adoption

51 dogs available for adoption

Meanwhile, between Jan–Apr 2026:

• 𝟴𝟬𝟰 𝗰𝗮𝘁𝘀 euthanized

• 221 dogs euthanized

• 1,073 total animals euthanized in just 4 months

That equals:

• About 10–11 animals euthanized daily

• Nearly 8 cats killed every working day

• More than 2 dogs killed every working day

This was not a one-day anomaly. For weeks, the shelter repeatedly showed very few cats available for adoption:

03/30/2026 — 5 cats

04/02/2026 — 12 cats

04/09/2026 — 5 cats / 28 dogs

04/23/2026 — 2 cats / 61 dogs

04/24/2026 — 9 cats / 55 dogs

04/29/2026 — 8 cats / 43 dogs

05/05/2026 — 16 cats / 45 dogs

05/07/2026 — 12 cats / 44 dogs

05/13/2026 — 36 cats / 79 dogs

05/21/2026 — 1 cat / 51 dogs

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝟴𝟬𝟰 𝗰𝗮𝘁𝘀 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗲𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱, while the public repeatedly sees almost no cats available to adopt?

https://www.polksheriff.org/animal-services/adoptable-pets