DORAL, FLA. (WSVN) – Miami-Dade Animal Services is urging the public to help alleviate overcrowding at their shelters with temporary volunteer and foster homes.
The facility is dealing with an emergency: they have too many animals and too little space and hope animal lovers can hear their message.
“This is a challenge and it’s a challenge that requires so many people to cooperate and collaborate,” the director for Miami-Dade Animal Services, Annette Jose, said. “We’ve been over capacity for over two years.”
With 550 dogs and only space for 350, Miami-Dade uses its own facility in Medley as overflow, but most dogs are doubled up in a kennel and separated by an opaque divider.
However, Jose is hoping more members of the public will open their doors, even as a temporary shelter, with volunteers and foster homes.
“Teachers are home for the summer, kids are back from college. Come and take a dog for the summer, let him spend some time in a nice, cool home and maybe get adopted,” said Jose.
She said volunteers and fosters don’t even have to commit to housing them for several months. Committing to a weekend or just taking one of their dogs for a walk can be helpful for the shelter.
“You can take them to the park, to Starbucks, to the beach, but while you’re doing that, they’re wearing an ‘adopt me’ vest,” said Jose. “We are removing every barrier there is to taking a dog out of the shelter.”
Miami-Dade Animal Services already provides low cost spay and neuter operations and vaccines to help reduce the number of potentially homeless animals, but it’s still an uphill battle.
Among the animals staying at the shelter is a dog named Logan, who has been at the shelter for one-and-a-half years. He requires eyedrops daily, but shelter officials said he’s very good with other dogs and is just looking for a family.
Miami-Dade Animal Services joins Broward County Animal Care in searching for solutions to alleviate their overcrowded shelters.
“This is not a place where a pet should be living. They should be living in a home. The shelter isn’t a good place for a pet, it should be the last resort,” said Jose.
For more information on adopting a pet or to become a volunteer, click here.
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