BELLINGHAM, Wash. — At this time of year, animal shelter staff across Washington are gearing up. It’s the calm before puppy season, as Laura Clark describes it.
However, for her shelter, Whatcom Humane in Bellingham, the puppy rush came early.
Over the last three weeks, four litters have been dropped off at the shelter. The 56 little dogs, most under 14 weeks old, are overwhelming the staff and the shelter, which is already at capacity.
“It’s a little bit scary to think about how we’re going to get through this,” Clark said, as she expects the typical onslaught of puppies to arrive in the spring and into summer as they have for years.
The puppies are mostly kept with their litters, with as many as nine in a kennel. Half of the first litter to come in was sent to a foster family to ease the shelter’s burden. A mix of rescues—most of which lack brick-and-mortar facilities like Whatcom Humane- and foster families are helping Whatcom Humane care for the dogs, though Clark says they’re feeling the pressure as well.
“I hear from people every single day in the rescue community that everybody is full, everybody is tired,” Clark said, “Our community is really in a crisis.”
Whatcom Humane’s kennels have been full for close to a year now. As the county’s animal control agency, it doesn’t turn away any pet, from surrenders to strays to those taken from animal cruelty cases.
“When our kennels are as full as they are, it’s putting a strain on our financial resources and it’s putting a strain on our staff to be able to provide the quality care we expect of ourselves and our mission,” Clark said.
The puppies, are adorable as they are, are a frustration to the people who care for them. That’s not because of any action of their own, but rather a frustration for the owners in the community who do not spay and neuter their pets. Clark says there’s an overpopulation of pets in Whatcom County and across Western Washington. Without people addressing it, Clark fears there is “no end in sight” to the current situation.
“Low-cost spay and neuter programs are available in most communities. It really is the way to combat pet overpopulation.” Clark said, “Be the solution in your local community.
She also hopes people will adopt or rescue animals, instead of buying them. All the puppies are on a medical quarantine with the first becoming available for adoption next week.
With so many puppies, Whatcom Humane is allowing people to submit a general application, rather than an application for a specific animal, so people can come in and meet which puppy they’d like to join their family. More information on adoptions can be found on the shelter’s website.
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