AUSTIN (KXAN) - The Austin Animal Center is dozens of dogs over capacity and expecting a spike in strays over the New Year's weekend.
" What happens typically is we get a huge influx of animals that break free and right now the shelter can 't absorb that capacity," said shelter director Abigail Smith. "We're really nervous about what will happen this weekend."
Smith said most of the dogs in the shelter are strays, and many of them clearly were pets.
" You look in each of these animals and each of these cages and these animals are not homeless, they came from someone's home. Some of them have collars. Some of them are freshly groomed," she said.
Sharla Bullock spent part of her afternoon in the shelter, picking up her dog Janice, who went missing a week earlier.
"I was so happy when they called the day after Christmas," she said, tearing up. "I was really happy."
Janice wore a collar with a tag, and had a microchip. Even so, it took Bullock some time to track her down.
"Make sure you notify everybody you can, give them pictures and keep calling," she advised. "My little dog is like a member of the family."
Smith said more people need to take Bullock's approach and check in with the shelter right away. She said the best way is to come to the shelter, but the Austin Animal Center also keeps pictures of all animals it takes in online.
The city holds the dogs three days, before opening them up for adoption.
" If you show up on day five and we adopted out your pet on day four we cant help you get your pet back," she said.
The shelter has moved dozens of dogs into foster care and non-profit shelters like Austin Pets Alive. They still had to move small dogs into cat cages.
" We'll be creative. I don't feel like animals should have to lose their lives because there are fireworks at night," said Smith. "We'll do everything we can to make room for animals who find their way to the shelter, but we're asking the community to do everything they can to prevent animals from coming here to begin with."
The shelter will give out free collars, tags and microchips at an event Friday and Saturday.
The event will run between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. Friday, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday at the Austin Animal Center.
Source: http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/local/austin/animal-center-packed-with-stray-pets
straight no chaser bcs standings bcs standings douglas fir jim boeheim jim boeheim bill of rights
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.