Workers and volunteers say they are at full capacity and overwhelmed – Luis Lopez of 13 On Your Side reports
Yuma, Arizona (KYMA, KCEY) – The Humane Society of Yuma (HSOY) has run out of room for rescues, making life difficult for the shelter’s workers and volunteers.
HSOY has been working with a fully utilized animal shelter since July 4th. Over 180 animals have been checked into the shelter and so far only 36 have been returned to their owners or re-housed.
And the animals are still coming. Volunteers and workers, like the manager Annette Lagunas, struggle to keep up.
“It is very overwhelming for our staff to take care of so many animals, so count on 92 multi-animal kennels that we currently have probably about 150 dogs and cats that we probably deal with nearly 75 on-site “Said Lagunas.
The shelter has more than 90 kennels that normally only keep one pet. Since animals keep coming in, the shelter quickly runs out of space.
For Katarina Davison, the shelter’s community cat coordinator, every day was a challenge.
“Every day it was crazy, every week there was such an influx of cats and dogs,” said Davison.
Of all the tasks that employees have to do, the hardest part is simply finding a home for the pets.
“So the hardest part is finding a home for them. Whether this is an animal shelter here in this room and we are being filled, or a foster home or someone to adopt them, we are really just trying to save all the animals we can with all the means we have available ”, said Davison.
Lagunas is upset by the fact that the owners aren’t coming back to get their runaway pets.
“It is very stressful to see all these animals come in that were clearly owned, but their people don’t come for them,” said Lagunas.
The shelter informs us that if you have a missing pet please check the website.
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