Animal shelter continues to experience overcrowding

By Kyle Schmidt

With dogs coming in as quickly as others are adopted, staff at the St. Joseph Animal Shelter is asking residents for help to combat the overflow.

Aubrey Silvey, an animal care specialist at the shelter, said making sure an adopter is ready for the commitment of adding a pet to the household.

“If you are thinking about getting a dog, do some research, taking into consideration the type of dog that you’re getting,” Silvey said. “A lot of times people pick a dog based on the way it looks but we really should be considering your lifestyle.”

The shelter typically receives dogs for two reasons. Some get rid of the animal because of behavioral issues when no one has time to train the dog. Another reason is moving and not being able to bring the pet with them.

“If you’re needing to rehome your pet, don’t wait until the last minute to find a home for your pet because it does take some time,” Silvey said.

Getting animals spayed and neutered can help with an unwanted pet situation as well, she said.

Silvey said the shelter is taking in dogs daily. She said matching a pet with your lifestyle is key.

“Do you want a lazy dog that’s going to lay on the couch all day because you’re super busy?” she said. “Or are you super active and you’re going to be running miles? Maybe you should get a husky.”

The animal shelter has a goal of saving more lives and keeping pets out of the shelter in the first place.

“We need the community to understand this is the last place you want your dog to be,” she said. “That is not really the case this is a stressful environment for them and a lot of the work we are doing is trying to keep the pets out of the shelter and we do have resources to help people.”