FRANKLIN, Tenn. (WKRN) — Every year, millions of dogs are surrendered to shelters in the United States. Several Middle Tennessee officials have taken a new approach to deal with overcrowding and keep dogs in loving homes.
Staff with the Williamson County Animal Center (WCAC) told News 2 that as of publication, adoptions are down by 20 percent. That means it’s critical to find ways to keep pets in their homes.
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The PEDIGREE Foundation Collaborative Grant offers a free 5-week behavior training will be offered to those who call into WCAC wanting to surrender their pet. Ninety-six animal shelters and rescue organizations cross the U.S. got more than $1.2 million in total grant support last year, which will help more than 77,000 dogs.
The basic training includes obedience techniques and gives dogs who need a little more help a second chance. WCAC director Ondrea Johnson said nearly a quarter of animals brought into the shelter in 2023 were surrendered.
“Historically our solution has always been, ‘Okay, bring the animal to us and we’ll figure it out,’ so we’re trying to move away from that model just because something’s got to change because space requirements that we have for the animals is getting more demanding than we have adopters to fill,” Johnson said.
It’s a collaborative effort between WCAC, Cheatham County Animal Control, the Maury County Animal Shelter and Snooty Giggles Dog Rescue. The funding will provide training for 400 at-risk dogs.
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“We see a lot of people who get puppies and really just genuinely don’t realize how much work they are,” Johnson added. “It needs enrichment. It needs exercise. It needs training. We should remove the shame from people feeling like they should have known better because there is a lot of basic obedience that you would have no reason of knowing unless you work around the industry.”
Both group classes and one-on-one sessions are backed by the grant funding. However, classes and sessions are not open to public registration. Select pet owners will be invited to these classes based on interactions they’ve had with families considering surrender.
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