IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI)– As winter sets in, animal shelters across the country brace for an unfortunate trend: a surge in surrendered pets.
According to most reports, animal shelters fill up more during the winter months, most often after Christmas. But for the Idaho Falls animal shelter, they see influxes of animals coming into their shelter throughout the year.
“We do see an influx in dogs and cats after Christmas, when people realize a pet wasn’t a good fit or they just weren’t prepared,” explains Officer Danielle Harker of the Idaho Falls Animal Control. “But we also generally see an increase in the summer months when it gets a little bit warmer, and people are leaving their dogs outside more often; they tend to escape and get out.”
The most demanding time of year, however, is often spring.
“We’re always looking for fosters, especially for cats and kittens. We go through what we call kitten season in the spring months,” Officer Harker notes. “We are constantly getting little bottle babies that need to be bottle-fed around the clock, or ones that just aren’t quite big enough for adoption yet.”
Besides fostering or adopting, communities can help through social media.
“Sharing our Facebook posts when we post any animals that are available for adoption or stray animals is always super helpful. The more we can get their pictures out there, the quicker we can get them reunited with their families,” Officer Harker said.
Animal shelters face overcrowding for several reasons, including rising pet care costs, failure to spay or neuter, overbreeding, and staffing shortages, according to ASPCA.
With the needs of the shelter fluctuating throughout the year, there are several ways Idahoans can help the Idaho Falls Animal Shelter and other rescues in the region manage the constant flow of animals:
- Volunteer! Spend time with furry friends.
- Foster or adopt an animal.
- Donate money and/or supplies.
To help your local animal shelter, check out the links below:
