Local shelters struggle with increasing illegal pet abandonment

CLARKS SUMMIT, LACKAWANNA COUNTY(WOLF) — Animal shelters are raising concerns after increased animal dumping.

Local shelters are dealing with the aftermath of people leaving their pets behind.

We're told illegally dumping animals is nothing new, but increasing. And with the weather being cold, and roads busy, it's not only heartbreaking for these animals but dangerous.

Local animal shelters have reported dogs and cats being dumped for some time, it's not a new trend, but it’s increasing.

Not only that, but people are also illegally dumping these animals in cold weather.

“We had a situation this morning, somebody came to the shelter, and they were trying to surrender dogs they claimed were strays, we explained that we didn’t have any place, and they were out of the county. We don’t have space for our county let alone another,” said Lackawanna County Humane Officer Marci Zeiler

That’s when Marci Zeiler, humane society police officer at Griffin Pond Animal Shelter in Clark Summit told the person to take the animals to a shelter in the county where they were found.

“A couple of minutes later, I got a call on my line, the shelter got a call on their line about two dogs that were running loose down Griffin Pond Road,” she said.

“Prior to them pulling out of here, one of the managers did go, she saw the dogs before they left, and they were the same dogs running loose down our road,” she added.

Zeiler says she does not believe those dogs were strays.

“The issue is people don’t give us the information and were going to find the information out, it's easier for everyone involved if you’re honest with us, to begin with, the animals were not strays,” she added.

“It’s heartbreaking for somebody to just dump them out of a car on the side of the road, it was 27 degrees this morning, not okay,” said Zeiler.

“The one dog is a senior between 10 to12 years old, both dogs were fat and probably lived in a house their whole life, and now their going to be living here, and that’s miserable for them,” she said.

Over at SPCA of Luzerne County, Humane Society Police Officer, Vickie Vangorder says they are seeing illegal dumping of animals daily.

“We're seeing a lot more of it nowadays only because my reasoning and I could be wrong is the financial strain on everyone is taking a toll, they can't afford to get gas, pay their bills, or take care of themselves let alone taking care of an animal,” said Humane Society Police Officer, Vickie Vangorder.

Zeiler says the laws can always use work, but for this case, they will be going for more than summaries