Animal shelters in South Florida are frantically searching for pet foster families so they can reduce their kennel populations before Hurricane Milton arrives.
Milton, similar to previous hurricanes, is likely to displace many dogs and cats, who can wander from their homes or get scared and run as they experience the intense storm, said Arielle Weinberger, spokeswoman for Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control. Shelters in Broward and Palm Beach counties anticipate a deluge of lost animals post-hurricane.
“Some dogs get spooked and run off,” Weinberger said. “We want to make sure we have enough space, especially if the hurricane takes a turn toward us.”
Several shelters have been posting their pleas on social media. In Palm Beach County, the shelter is offering food and supplies to families who take in a dog or cat for two to three weeks. The shelter has 175 dogs and room for only 144, and 123 cats with space only for 100.
Broward County Animal Care is also overstocked, with 156 dogs and kennel space for only 130. An additional problem: The county keeps 20 dogs at an overflow shelter in Pompano Beach that will have to be emptied out if the storm becomes severe. Those animals would be moved to the main facility in Fort Lauderdale, aggravating the space problem, said Doug Brightwell, Broward’s animal care director.
Besides not having enough room, Brightwell said other problems beckon if the hurricane brings a lot of rain and power outages. Air-conditioning problems could force the cat rooms to become too hot, he said, while dog walking and play areas could flood.
“We find ourselves in urgent need of your help!” Broward Animal Care posted Oct. 7 on its Facebook page. “Our shelter is currently home to over 200 wonderful dogs and cats who deserve a safe, loving environment, especially during the impending inclement weather. To ensure their safety and well-being, we are calling on our #BrowardCounty community to provide foster homes and temporarily care for a homeless pet in need.”
The Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League in West Palm Beach is also searching for foster families. The shelter has taken in about 20 dogs from Clewiston Animal Services, near Lake Okeechobee, and sent a transport team to St. Francis Animal Rescue of Venice, on Florida’s West Coast, “to evacuate as many of their cats as possible before it’s too late,” according to its Facebook page.
The Humane Society of Broward County took in 29 cats and four dogs from a shelter in Manatee County, which is in the path of the storm, spokeswoman Cherie Wachter said. Fortunately, the society had a successful adoption event over the weekend and found homes for 60 animals.
“We have room,” Wachter said. “Hopefully people who are evacuating are taking their pets with them.”
If you want to foster or adopt, contact one of these shelters. Make sure to call ahead as some are closing for the storm.
Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control: 7100 Belvedere Road, West Palm Beach; 561-233-1200; discover.pbc.gov/publicsafety/animalcare
Broward County Animal Care Division: 2400 SW 42nd St., Fort Lauderdale; 954-359-1313; broward.org/Animal
Humane Society of Broward County: 2070 Griffin Road, Fort Lauderdale; 954-989-3977; humanebroward.com
Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League: 3200 N. Military Trail, West Palm Beach; 561-686-3663; peggyadams.org
Originally Published:
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
