There is a dire situation at the Animal Welfare League of Charlotte County. They are full and in desperate need of people to adopt or foster.
“Right now we’re just stacking the crates 2-3 high,” intake manager Dayna Adams tells NBC2.
Whether you’re a cat lover and want to take home a furry feline, or prefer pooches, the AWL is begging you to lighten their load.
Cage after cage is full of dogs. The shelter even has temporary crates up for the influx of animals.
“We just keep stacking the crates. It’s a really bad situation,” Adams said. “We could run out of room.”
She said financial and housing changes are the main reasons why they’ve seen so many animals coming into the shelter. But as the new ones come in, not enough are going out.
“Some of our dogs have been here for over two years. I’ve got a dog who’s been here 485 days,” Elizabeth Marcino said, marketing manager at AWL.
Large breeds and senior dogs are the hardest to home. That’s why AWL is reducing adoption fees for those pups to incentivize people to take some of the 73 large and senior dogs off their hands.
For each dog at the shelter… that’s another dog they can’t take in.
But it’s not just pups that need a home, kittens and senior cats are in abundance too.
If you don’t think you could afford to adopt an animal, consider fostering.
“You just need time and a safe place to keep the animal,” Adams said. “Financials are all covered by the shelter.”
Another good option to help reduce pet overpopulation is to get your animal spayed or neutered. The HELP program at AWL just received an additional $35,000 in funding to help offer low cost spay and neutering for those who qualify.