This story was originally posted to MyNorthwest.com
The Auburn Valley Humane Society is now over capacity after being overwhelmed with 82 new dogs.
“How did this happen?” KIRO Newsradio host Manda Factor asked. “Where did they come from?”
“They came from a community member here in Auburn who just had a situation that grew out of hand,” Katrina Megrath, the CEO of Auburn Valley Humane Society, answered. “But fortunately, you know, she was willing to work with animal control to make sure that the dogs are able to get out of that situation and move on to better lives. And so we were happy to join in that operation and help out.”
Megrath stated that the dogs arrived at the humane society in “really good” condition, sharing that the woman prioritized their care over everything else.
“While the housing situation was certainly not good, and I don’t want to elaborate on that, the dogs themselves are actually at their healthy weight,” Megrath said. “Overall, they’re in pretty good health. The main concerns with them are fleas. Lots of fleas, and a lot of skin issues are associated with those fleas. We do have a lot of hair loss and scabbing, but that should be quickly corrected.”
The Auburn Valley Humane Society has a capacity of 50 animals, but the organization has been operating at or above capacity all summer.
“We do rely so much on donations, volunteers, and foster homes to be able to operate our shelter,” Megrath added. “Donations of towels and blankets are so helpful for things like this and for everyday volunteers. It takes so many hands to care for this many dogs and the dogs and cats that we normally have in care. Then foster homes, we’ve had so many people reach out about fostering.”
The Humane Society worked alongside the Auburn Police Department in this large-scale animal surrender. On-site, the Auburn Valley Humane Society team processed intakes for 82 dogs. Seattle Humane chipped in as well, taking in 17 of the dogs.
Here’s how you can help:
Foster: Email - foster@auburnvalleyhs.org
Donate supplies: Send items directly to the shelter via Amazon Wish List or drop off donations of clean, gently used towels and fleece blankets
Donate: https://www.auburnvalleyhs.org/support-us
Listen to the full conversation here.
Listen to “Seattle’s Morning News” with Charlie Harger and Manda Factor weekday mornings from 5-9 a.m. on KIRO Newsradio. Subscribe to the podcast here.
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