More than a dozen dogs that fled from the Southern California wildfires are now being brought to Bend. Local non-profit Street Dog Hero will be taking in all 13 dogs.
The purpose? To clear out overcrowded shelters in that region.
“It’s getting those dogs that we already know don’t have a home and aren’t spoken for out of there, find them homes up here so that they can clear out kennel space in those shelters, so they can hold onto those dogs and cats that can be reunited with their families,” Street Dog Hero Executive Director Kristen Elrod said.
Now, the non-profit is asking the community to help foster them.
“We don’t have enough foster space to house all these dogs and we’re already full here, so we really need new fosters to step up and take in some of these new dogs,” Elrod said.
With limited space not just at Street Dog Hero, but also in most of the other local shelters, some have raised concerns in the past of bringing in out-of-state animals rather than focusing on the strays in our area.
“We actually do a good bit of local work these days. We do a lot more local work than international work, now because that need is there,” Elrod said.
While the non-profit works to focus more on Central Oregon, it says the situation in L.A. is too devastating to ignore.
“L.A. is struggling to an unreal capacity so they really do need all the help they can get. That’s why, in this case, we’re going to make the room, we’re going to make it work. We will provide that local assistance as well. This wont keep us from doing that,” Elrod said.
Those dogs are expected to arrive sometime this weekend. Those interested in fostering you can fill out the application here.
If Street Dog Hero can’t find enough people to foster, Elrod says it will expand its space to the best of its ability by putting those dogs in wire crates, although that isn’t ideal.
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