Southern Idaho animal rescue pleas for help, shelters overcrowded
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JEROME —- An animal rescue agency in southern Idaho posted a plea for help on Facebook after several shelters in the area have been at full capacity.
Dave Wright, a rescue coordinator with Friends Furever Animal Rescue posted, “Due to helping with hoarding situations, no available fosters, and taking care of the animals we already have in our rescue, we are overwhelmed.”
Wright says last year during the pandemic, many people were adopting animals. However, once the pandemic began to end, and as more people began to venture out of their homes, people became less interested in adopting animals.
“Right now foster homes are almost nonexistent,” Wright said.
The People for Pets Twin Falls animal shelter posted on Facebook too and said that the shelter has grown in the past several years.
Part of the post reads, “As our community continues to grow, the number of animals we take in continues to increase as well! We almost always find ourselves tight on or out of space. Thus we have implemented a new ‘by appointment only’, program for ‘owner surrendered’ animals so we can maintain space for those brought in as strays.”
Cassie Champlin who works as an office manager at The People for Pets Twin Falls animal shelter says they have anywhere between 75 to 100 animals at the shelter right now and they are always out of space. She explained the cats they shelter have to be put in mobile kenneling. They use a garage area to help shelter the cats.
Champlin says the best solution for their overcrowding problem is to have pet owners spay and neuter their pets to stop unwanted litters.
Since Champlin has been at the shelter for five years, she says they are actively working on another capital campaign to expand the shelter. She says hopefully in the next few years, there will be an extra animal control wing and an additional cat and kitten space.
In eastern Idaho, overcrowding during this time of year is pretty typical. Snake River Animal Shelter Executive Director Stephen Buzzell says they are at the tail end of their first kitten season and going into puppy season, which means they are pretty full. Overcrowding happens again during the months of August, September, and October.
Buzzell says that they try to help regional municipal shelters if theirs isn’t full. They help places like Idaho Falls, Pocatello, Rexburg and Blackfoot. According to Buzzell, The Snake River Animal Shelter can hold up to 70 animals. Right now, they have 59.
As for the Idaho Falls Animal shelter, Jessica Clements with the Idaho Falls Police Department says the shelter is pretty full but they are not in a dire situation like other shelters are in Idaho. A lot of the animals that are in the shelter currently are Fourth of July related. Many animals were scared of the fireworks and ran away from their homes. Currently, there are 24 dogs at the shelter and the shelter can hold 28 kennels. There are 38 cats and 9 open kennels.
Shelters are always encouraging adoption. Click here to learn more about the Friends Furever Animal Rescue, People for Pets Twin Falls Animal Shelter, The Snake River Animal Shelter, and The Idaho Falls Animal Shelter.