TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) – It’s a full home at Lucas County Canine Care and Control (LC4) now and that has been the case in recent months.
The shelter director stated the variety of stray dogs introduced in can be up considerably in the previous couple of years.
There was once a little bit of a drop-off within the numbers at LC4 throughout the winter months, however that isn’t the case on the shelter this yr.
“We have been at the top of our capacity the entire winter. It’s really not uncommon for us to get 15-20 dogs in a day right now,” Kelly Sears, the Director of LC4 stated.
While a number of the dogs listed here are surrendered by their homeowners, the overwhelming majority of them are strays.
“The stray intake has grown exponentially,” Cassie Bloomfield, the Community Outreach Coordinator stated.
Sears says the stray numbers have been growing for a number of years.
“Our officers are out on the roads bringing in strays and Good Samaritans are bringing them to us and those numbers have increased by the hundreds in the last few years,” Sears stated.
Sears stated lots of the strays coming in aren’t fastened. She believes a part of the rationale for that’s that spay and neuter surgical procedures have been placed on maintain across the nation for a time throughout the pandemic.
“I’ve seen new data that shows about 2.7 Million surgeries weren’t completed during the pandemic because vets were deemed non-essential. I think we’re paying for that now. One example of that is the puppies coming in. Pre-pandemic we got about 200 pups a year and that number doubled here this last year,” Sears stated.
While Pitbull-type dogs are the bulk at LC4, Bloomfield says there’s been a rise in different breeds.
“Huskies, German Shepherds, mastiffs, Corsos, we have all kinds of purebred dogs. We also had an Irish Setter, a German Shorthaired Pointer and a Golden Retriever. We are also seeing lots of small dogs. Chihuahuas, Shih Tzus, Havanese, little poodles, and Yorkie mixes,” Sears stated.
Leaders right here say altering the growing numbers, all comes right down to a easy repair.
“Cutting down the stray population is often as simple as fixing your dog. We have a lot of resources in the community and low-cost clinics,” Sears stated.
LC4 has one other vital reminder. It is time to renew your canine license. Sears stated not solely is it the regulation, however that straightforward tag also can assist your pet keep away from a keep on the shelter as a result of deputies can merely search your license quantity and get your canine home. A Lucas County license is $25 from now by way of the top of the month. After that, the cost goes up.
If you purchase a license for a Pitbull-type canine in Lucas County this yr, you’re going to get a “Big Fix” coupon. That means you may have your canine spayed or neutered at Humane Ohio for under $15.
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