A representative of Shelter Animal Advocates, one of our southern partners, had a conversation with Ellen McCabe.This conversation has been edited for clarity and length.
We’ve spent this summer helping strays. It’s been hard. Our shelters have been telling people when they call to report a stray to “let the dog go”. I know the shelters can only do so much with the limited resources they have.
I have no energy left to argue with them. It is what it is. The good samaritans who find these dogs reach out to us, as well as other partner rescues. We try very hard to work with all the area rescues to keep moving dogs out of harm’s way.
After COVID hit us, it drastically hurt our foster base. Many people moved. It hurt all these rescues. But I want everyone to know that we’ve not given up!
Currently, as the public finds stray animals and discovers that local shelters will not take them, we work with them if they are willing. We ask them to foster the found animal while we get the vetting process completed. Shelters now consider a “found dog” to be owned by the finder. So now, people leave the dog in the street for Animal Control to pick up. If the dog is good natured and no threat – they may or may not be brought to us. If the dog is reported to be vicious, they will come and euthanize it.
It’s also why the pictures of our dogs getting adopted through Dog Star Rescue are so important to us. We are constantly working on raising awareness. We are slowly working on changing our community from only 20% of us who do this work into becoming the informed 80% who care enough to do this work.
Adding to the chaotic mess, the heat has been over the top this year. We find dogs laying limp in the streets unable to move. As the heat steps up, so has hookworms, coccidia, and roundworms. Also, the animals are loaded with fleas. The dogs that are found like this are very sick and near death. The amount of medical care that is needed to help them exceeds the ability of our local vets. We are forever grateful to our connection with Dog Star Rescue. Without you, these animals would not stand a chance at a happy life.