EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — El Paso Animal Services finds itself again at critical capacity, saying “the number of dogs coming in surpassed those finding homes.”
More than a dozen dogs have been labeled “at-risk,” meaning they may be euthanized if they are not adopted, fostered or transferred to another shelter.
Michele Anderson, marketing and public engagement manager with El Paso Animal Services said: “We see 20 to 50 dogs entering our shelter every single day, so even if we see 50 dogs leave today, we would have that same amount coming in as well. This is a prolonged solution we’re asking the community to help with. We need the community to adopt, we need the community to foster. Help us spread the word.”
Animal Services said the main shelter at 5001 Fred Wilson is currently doing some construction, taking up one of their kennel spaces, creating even less room than before.
With more pets being brought in than going out, Anderson said space is exhausted. Not only is capacity an issue, but so is the amount of time some animals spend in the shelter.
“The longer a pet does stay here, unfortunately, of course, increases our capacity — as well as increases chances for the pet to get sick due to stress, or to suffer from behavior decline,” Anderson said.
February is Responsible Pet Owner’s Month. Anderson said current pet owners can do their part in helping local shelters by making sure their animals are microchipped, vaccinated, registered, and spayed or neutered to help with the uptick in pets brought in to the shelter.
“Euthanasia is never our first option. Our goal is to always find a live-saving option, whether it’s adoption, foster, transferring to a local rescue partner or national rescue partner, or reuniting them with their families but we need the community’s help to do that,” Anderson said.
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