Kentucky, and states all over the country, are seeing an animal crisis of more unwanted pets, and as temperatures get colder, experts fear it will worsen.
Lexington, Ky (WTVQ): Kentucky, and states all over the country, are seeing an animal crisis of more unwanted pets, and as temperatures get colder, experts fear it will worsen.
According to Anita Spreitzer, the Vice President of Paws 4 the Cause, says adopt now and don’t wait for the holidays. “A lot of the shelters here right now have had to euthanize dogs in the rural areas at very large numbers,” she said.
Spreitzer attributes the problem dating back to the pandemic. “People wanted a lot of animals, and they depleted the dogs very quickly,” she said. “Breeders didn’t have any dogs. So, what the breeders did they got greedy and they over produced for the following year.”
Once people started going back to work, Spreitzer says, people would start giving up their animals since they were no longer at home. Now, adoptions are at an all-time low. “There’s more extreme cases coming in every single day,” she said. “Cats that have been hit by cars, broken legs. Dogs that have been hit by cars with broken legs because they’ve been abandoned.”
Currently the organization is caring for more than 80 animals, between cats and dogs, Spreitzer says that’s double the number from last year. “There’s a list of 50 that want to come in, that we’ve been putting off,” she said. “The only way we can take those dogs in is to be able to put them in foster care.”
According to Spreitzer, dogs at the facility have been waiting for a home for months. She says a lot of the Southern states don’t have strict spay and neuter laws. She hopes to see that law change. “We can only put so many animals here to keep them in the quality care that they need to be,” she said.
Once animals are under the care of Paws 4 the Cause, they need to learn what it’s like to be in homes.
Paws 4 the Cause is looking to raise $15,000 towards an emergency fund for animals with extreme cases. If you want to help this is where you can donate.