A Nevada animal shelter says it may be forced to euthanize dogs for space for the first time in more than 12 years. Lyon County Animal Services in Silver Springs says it has reached a critical overcapacity point it cannot manage without help.

The shelter has 36 standard kennels and eight quarantine kennels, 44 total, but is currently housing 69 dogs. More than 60 additional dogs are waiting to come in.

Lyon County Animal Services said in a statement that it has seen a significant increase in dogs entering the shelter, paired with a significant decrease in strays being claimed and a significant decrease in adoptions.

The combination has pushed the no-kill shelter toward a decision it has not faced in over a decade.

“We are absolutely devastated and heartbroken because, for the first time in over 12 years, we may have to start euthanizing for space and no longer be a no kill (90% or higher save rate) shelter,” the shelter said, reports 2 News Nevada.

The shelter does not run its own foster program, but two rescue partners have offered to take Lyon County dogs into foster care: Res-Que and WARF, the Wylie Animal Rescue Foundation of Northern Nevada.

Anyone able to adopt can browse available dogs online, and the shelter says its current population ranges from German Shepherds and Dobermans to Huskies and mixed breeds.

Volunteers are also needed to walk dogs and clean kennels, and interested residents can call the shelter directly at 775-577-5005.

Those unable to adopt, foster, or volunteer can still help by sharing the shelter’s posts or encouraging anyone shopping for a new dog to consider Lyon County first.

The shelter is also urging pet owners across the region to make sure their own dogs are wearing identification, since a lost dog that cannot be identified adds directly to the pressure on kennel space.

Lyon County Animal Services sells ID tags for $7 and microchips for $15, and suggests writing a phone number on a dog’s collar with a permanent marker or a strip of duct tape as a low-cost backup.

The crisis in Silver Springs comes as shelters across Northern Nevada face a difficult stretch of summer intake, and it lands just as Washoe County shelters are still absorbing dogs displaced by the Bug and Stallion fires.