Topeka animal shelter has no more room for dogs
TOPEKA (KSNT) - Helping Hands Humane Society (HHHS) is warning the community about its lack of room for dogs at the shelter.
HHHS posted on social media Friday, Sept. 20 the Topeka facility is out of dog kennels. In the last seven days, Helping Hands has taken in 128 animals, 65 of those were stray dogs, according to Grace Clifton, the director of philosophy at HHHS.
Clifton said 25 of the 128 animals were sick or injured small kittens. Currently, there are 415 pets in the shelter. The shelter is asking the community to rethink bringing healthy stray animals in to help with this issue.
"Dogs are coming in left and right today, and we are completely out of space. We beg the community to prioritize bringing in only sick, injured, or dangerous dogs (please call Animal Control for dangerous dogs). We have zero open kennels and are working hard to find space for the dogs we have that are waiting for one."
Statement excerpt form HHS
Clifton said the intake numbers have been consistent for the last five weeks.
"This week isn’t really an unusual week, compared to the last five but it’s been adding up over time," Clifton said. "The backlog is due to us not quite catching a break on space all year long. Stray dogs are at about 50% reclaim rate and we are making appts for owners needing to surrender due to such high rates of surrender requests."
Clifton said this influx isn't a one-time experience just in the capital city: it's been a constant issue nationwide for two years.
"This is our 10th plea this year," Clifton said.
She told 27 News no one cause can be pinpointed for this animal influx, but likely a big factor for people is economic factors like inflation, the cost of veterinarian fees, pet food and pet care. Clifton encourages the community to turn to social media when coming across a stray animal.
"There's lots more success with people finding their pets on social media," Clifton said.
If you would like to help the humane society, the shelter encourages people to adopt, foster, volunteer, donate and share information. Clifton said if anyone has questions about the when its best to bring in an animal, or how to help, reach out to HHS via email: helpinghands@hhhstopeka.org.
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