DOTHAN, Ala. (WTVY) – Staff at the Wiregrass Humane Society have one thing in common. They love taking care of animals.
“I have my own rescued animals,” said Angel Oliver, a member of the shelter’s board of directors. “When we talk about animals that don’t have a home, animals that don’t have a home, animals that are abandoned on the streets, animals that are surrendered. I stand here all day and I want to know why that is near and dear to my heart. We can talk about it.”
Shelters have limited space to house animals in need.
“We’ve been at maximum capacity for quite some time and it’s really never ending,” Oliver said.
It’s been a problem for the last few years, but it’s getting worse.
“One of the things we’re facing right now is our waiting list is full,” Oliver said. “Due to lack of space, we have stopped accepting applications on the waiting list. We are already at capacity, but the waiting list has grown so large that we have had to stop that as well.”
Most of the callers are owners of pets who have adopted them from shelters and are now trying to get them back.
“When you adopt an animal into a humane society, you’re making a commitment,” Oliver said. “They should be treated like children. There are food costs, vet costs, and a lot of other things. It’s a big responsibility.”
Shelter staff are concerned that capacity issues could exacerbate a broader problem of pet abandonment.
“One of the things we come across is someone finding a kitten or puppy sitting on their doorstep that they may have dropped, and someone carrying a basket containing the litter of kittens or puppies. These are people coming into the shelter,” Oliver said.
It’s hard to watch this knowing they can’t help.
“It’s true that it takes a toll just because you want to help,” Oliver said. “You want to be the savior of all these animals, but it’s physically impossible.”
The Humane Society told News4 that even on a slow day, they receive more than 30 calls about pet surrenders.
Subscribe to the News 4 newsletter to receive the latest local news and weather directly to your email each morning. Download our mobile app to receive instant notifications about News 4’s top stories.
Copyright 2024 WTVY. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.
