Overwhelmed animal shelter seeking adoptions, donations
BERKSHIRE, MASS. (NEWS10) – Many animal shelters are seeing an uptick in pets being surrendered and are seeking help from the public. Berkshire Humane Society says normally 120 animals are in the shelter but currently 168 animals are being housed and there’s a waiting list of people looking to surrender their pets.
Executive Director John Perreault estimates about 30-40 people are waiting to bring in cats and a dozen or two want to turn in their dogs. Their small mammal population is double what it usually is.
“We’re seeing numbers we haven’t seen in a long time,” Perreault said.
He says he hasn’t seen the shelter this full since the 90s.
“I think this is the new norm, especially with the volumes of phone calls coming in,” Perreault said.
He attributes part of the problem to COVID because many people lost their jobs and homes.
“The cost of things today has really made an impact on animals, as you can see our shelter’s very full today and not only today, we’ve been like this for a while now,” Perreault said.
He expects to see an increase in people surrendering their pets in the next few months during their busy season, which starts in August and goes into October around the time school starts back up.
Complicating the issue is a shortage of veterinarians. He says people should recognize clinics are short-staffed and working long hours.
“Just a reminder out there to be nice to your veterinarian,” Perreault said.
He encourages people to be proactive and schedule their pets' annual exams, three to four months in advance, to try to get ahead of any issues.
Perreault stressed how local animal shelters can assist pet owners and can even help schedule vet appointments and said every shelter has different needs at different times of the year.
“Call your local shelter, ask what their needs are. For us it’s our pet food bank, cat food, dog food, cat litter,” Perreault said.
Additional donations the Berkshire Humane Society is looking for include litter boxes, paper towels, blankets, towels and cleaning detergent.
To alleviate the strain now through July 15 they’re taking $100 off pet adoption fees for dogs and cats and waiving the entire pet adoption fee for small animals – except for the bunnies.
Senior pets range from $100-$150 while puppies range from $250-$300 and kittens go for $150.
Perreault says those fees cover the care for pets before they’re put into a home, which includes full vaccinations, spaying and neutering, microchips, and a free health exam from a local veterinarian.