PRINCETON, W. Va. -With springtime comes the addition of more puppies and kittens into Mercer County, many without a home to take care of them.
With the Mercer County Animal Shelter already filling up, they contacted the Bissell Pet Foundation for an emergency adoption event this past week. But while it did bring more people into the shelter, the number of puppies and kittens adopted didn’t put much dent in their space issue.
“It is the puppy/kitten season, and it is full force…” explained Stacey Harmon, the director of the Mercer County Animal Shelter, “…There was at least eight in one day that come in, so what did get rid of, has just filled back up.”
Because they are housed in litters, if one or two puppies or kittens get adopted, it doesn’t open a spot for more additions. The need right now is to adopt out the animals taking up the most space: the adult dogs, many of which have been here a while.
The shelter comfortably holds sixty-four animals, but now, even after the adoption event, they’re pushing more than eighty, meaning euthanasia is still a possibility. Harmon says the only other path forward is hope that more adoptions come soon.
“We have from puppies to old to small, medium, whatever they want, you know? And just to come in and look, I mean, even if you’re not wanting one, just come in and look and see if someone catches your eye,” says Harmon.
Harmon recommends people give adult dogs a chance for a forever home and adds that they’ve already passed their puppy training stage and are easier to take care of.
If you are unable to help the cats and dogs at the Mercer County Animal Shelter through adoption, Harmon says they need food, with the shelter going through a lot of it due to the number of animals in their care.
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