Shelter animals nobody wants twice: Latvia's overlooked pets

Animal shelters across Latvia are home to hundreds of pets that have been abandoned or become too difficult for their owners to keep. While some quickly find new families, others end up spending the rest of their lives in shelter care.

At the animal protection society "Ķepu ķepā" in the Salgale parish, the grounds house more than 80 dogs, eight horses, numerous goats and birds — including six storks — as well as three deer that can no longer be returned to the wild. Shelter director Gundega Bidere explains that many animals require specialized care: horses, for example, are regularly trained so they can be socialized and eventually placed with new owners. Among the cats, whose exact number is hard to pin down since some roam freely on the grounds, nine are currently available for adoption while roughly 50 are not expected to be. Some dogs also need an experienced owner or a home without other pets, and a few will never be released from the shelter at all.

Small animals find homes faster

Both "Ķepu ķepā" and the "Mežavairogi" shelter report the same pattern: puppies and small dogs are adopted quickest, while larger animals tend to remain in shelters far longer. Danuta Jākobsone, who heads "Mežavairogi" and the Animal Rescue Service society, says the choice is largely driven by emotion rather than practical concerns. She notes that people often avoid adopting older animals out of fear of losing them sooner, rather than being deterred mainly by potential medical costs. In response, she poses a pointed question: doesn't an old animal also deserve to die at home rather than in a shelter?

Shelters continue to take in both success stories and the animals that may never get a second chance.