- The dog kennel is over capacity at the Tallahassee Animal Services Center.
- The shelter is still finding homes for 60 dogs taken to the center from an animal control call.
- Watch the video to see how you can help.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Working to find an unprecedented number of animals a forever home.
Over 100 dogs are waiting at the shelter to get adopted. I'm finding out why the shelter is so full and how you can help.
Lauren Pearlman is a regular volunteer at Tallahassee Animal Services and works with the Animal Shelter Foundation. She took in a dog, Pebbles, after the shelter saw an extreme influx of animals at the beginning of April. "I already had one foster in my home, I have been fostering for over 10 years, dozens of fosters have come through our house but seeing that sense of urgency and the need, I went ahead and took in a second foster."
60 dogs were taken from a property in Southwest Tallahassee in one day.
Take a look at this video from Leon County Animal Control, showing the conditions those animals were in.
I caught up with Pearlman two weeks later.
While Pebbles has found her home and is leaving Pearlman Friday, many other dogs are still waiting. "Unfortunately, for various reasons, people are still bringing in their pets, they can't keep them."
Tallahassee Animal Services director Erika Leckington said the need still remains great. "Our dog kennels typically stay full 365 days a year, so when you take on a huge case like that, we had to start getting creative."
Getting creative with emergency foster operations, with 16 pets in temporary homes.
She tells me over 100 dogs are looking for find a home and 12 of those came from the rescue earlier this month.
While they are slowly making progress, with pups like Pebbles getting adopted Wednesday, Pearlman said there is something the shelter foundation is doing to hopefully kick start a wave of adoptions and fosters. "Take a kitty or a dog home with you, that would be wonderful."
She said it will be a great way to get to know the precious pets. "They have lived in homes, they've lived with families, they're ready to go. They're great."
If you can't make it out to Tails and Trails this weekend, don't worry. The shelter is open for adoptions by appointmentalmost every day of the week, so go online and let the shelter know you want to bring home a furry friend.
