Animal shelter filled with lost pets after Debby
Regina Gonzalez reports.
PALMETTO, Fla. – It's been a busy week for Manatee County Animal Welfare's Jennifer Hume and her team, as they've worked tirelessly to rescue pets that were separated from their families or taken in as strays after Tropical Storm Debby.
“We've had 130 animals come in since last week,” Hume shared.
In hopes of reuniting some with their owners, she's encouraging locals to reach out or keep a look-out.
“Come in person to our Bishop shelter location, that way you can put eyes on the animals and make sure they're yours,” Hume added. “Otherwise, your community is great on social media, so checking lost pet pages is key, 941 is a great group.”
READ: Post-Debby damage creates insurance issues, costing Bay Area residents tens of thousands
Select animals found in heavily affected areas will be held for up to 14 days before being put up for adoption, but a majority of the intakes will be held for three days for cats and five days for dogs.
In order to make room for the ones that will end up staying, and in honor of “Clear the Shelters” month, the county is waiving all adoption fees for dogs and cats at their locations, which were already at capacity.
“We have 300 animals in our care right now, so you can always go to our Palmetto location, which has our adoptable dogs. We have 105 dogs,” Hume said. “At Bishop we have kittens available for adoption and dogs and our bunnies, and Cat Town in Bradenton has 50 cats and kittens available for adoption.”
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