DORAL, FLA. (WSVN) - Do you have room in your home and in your heart to add a loving member to your family? Now’s a good time to adopt, as South Florida is overflowing with pets, a lot of them looking for forever families.
Miami-Dade Animal Services needs your help as their shelters are packed with these pets.
The Meireles family left the Miami-Dade County Animal Shelter as a family of four.
“We got a new addition to the family,” said Dio Meireles. “We need something to entertain the little one.”
Mia, the playful pitbull mix, is one of 2,600 dogs rescued by the shelter last month alone.
The summer months are once again trading resources for more rescues coming in and less adoptions going out.
“There really is no rhyme or reason for it. It’s a phenomenon we’re not just experiencing here in our local community, but it’s something that shelters nationwide experience,” said Miami-Dade Animal Services director Lorna Meija-Lopez.
Some animals find new homes faster than others.
Smaller and younger pets like Rocket get adopted within a matter of days, but dogs that are larger and older tend to wait months for their forever family.
The shelter has 450 dogs ready for adoption now. They’re hoping families consider some of their larger furry friends.
“All dogs and all cats, they all need love regardless of their size,” Meija-Lopez said. “The bigger they are, the more love they may need.”
“Small dogs don’t fill that space in my heart that I may need now,” Dio said.
Mia is filling the kind of void only a large dog could, bringing joy to a family who needs a little extra love.
“We lost another dog,” Dio’s wife said, before turning away from the camera to cry.
“You made a four-legged friend at home. Sometimes, the bigger the better,” Dio said. “But there’s always that addition. You can’t divide love. You can always multiply it.”
For more information on how to adopt a pet, click here.
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