FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - Broward County Animal Care is overcrowded, and officials are urgently asking the public to consider adopting a furry friend to help ease growing capacity concerns at the shelter.
Officials say there’s no better time for animal lovers to find their perfect furry friend than at the county shelter.
“Before you go buy a dog, consider adopting a dog from a shelter. We get purebred dogs in here; we get mixed breeds that look very much like those purebred dogs that can get what you’re looking for and also save a life in a shelter,” said Broward County Animal Care Director Doug Brightwell.
Not only would increased adoptions help these animals find forever homes, but they would also ease pressure on an overwhelmed county shelter that, Brightwell says, is at capacity for both dogs and cats.
“We are over capacity for dogs; we are also at capacity for cats. We’ve just had more animals coming in than we’ve had moving out through adoption,” said Brightwell.
Brightwell hopes to change those figures as soon as possible.
Right now, the shelter is about 15 dogs over capacity, with a population of about 145 as of Wednesday. They also house 136 cats, nearing their limit.
The strain of keeping them all at the shelter has forced some of those dogs to stay in what would normally be temporary holding spaces.
Brightwell believes one significant factor behind the drop in adoptions is economic woes forcing people to keep a strict budget.
“Part of that’s the time of year; we’ve got the holidays coming up very shortly, school has started, and people are struggling financially so they’re making very deliberate decisions on what to take on in their households, so I think that’s why our adoption rates have slowed down a bit,” said Brightwell.
In addition to a Halloween-themed party at the shelter on Saturday, officials say they will temporarily drop adoption fees to encourage potential pet parents to give one of their animals a permanent home.
“All of our animals are already sterilized, they’re vaccinated, they’re microchipped. The only cost to do that is paying for the registration fee,” said Brightwell.
For those looking to adopt, officials also reminded people that adopted pets may behave a little differently once you take them home. The animal needs time to acclimate to a new environment, officials say.
Fosters and short-term volunteer caretakers are also strongly encouraged to visit, help house some of their pets, and ease the stress on overwhelmed shelter staff.
For more information on Saturday’s Pup-Or-Treat! Halloween Pawty, click here.
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