MIAMI VALLEY — The majority of dogs in kennels at our local shelters do not have to be in them right now.
Shelters say they are eligible to go home with fosters, but they aren’t enough of them in the Miami Valley to care for the animals.
At the moment the Montgomery County Animal Resource Center is pushing its limits.
“We have over 90 dogs in our shelter as of today,” Kara Hamby, spokesperson for Montgomery County Animal Resource Center said.
Over in Miami County Animal Shelter, they are already beyond their capacity.
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“We have 41 dogs at our shelter right now and we have 29 kennels. We actually have nine dogs living in pop-up crates,” Abigail Daugherty, animal control officer at the shelter said.
Both shelters said the majority of their dogs could be in a home today, not in cramped cages, if people would take on the role of a foster.
“They would have a safe comfy bed a safe place to stay while searching for their forever home,” Daugherty said.
Not only do fosters offer a better environment for the dogs, but they also give shelters important information on the animal to prepare them for adoption.
“We have a lot more to tell future adopters how that dog interacted with their dog, with people, are they house broke?” Daugherty said.
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The shelters provide all supplies to fosters, and often times the person fostering says the toughest part is saying goodbye.
“All you have to do is provide the love and then the hardest part is letting them go to a home but it’s also so rewarding,” Daugherty said.
Between both shelters signing up to become a foster is a quick and easy process more information can be found here for Montgomery County and here for Miami County.