LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — A local animal shelter is seeking the community's help as they have reached capacity and requires additional foster homes.
Animal shelters across central Kentucky are struggling with overwhelming numbers of pets, with many facilities at or beyond capacity.
"It's an epidemic and that's the only thing I can tell you what's going on right now," said Anita Spreitzer, owner of Paws 4 Cause in Lexington.
The non-profit shelter is one of several in the region facing significant challenges with animal overcrowding.
"This week alone, between text messages, phone calls and emails over 50 individuals that own pets asked us if we could take them and we can't take any owner surrenders right now," Spreitzer said.
Paws 4 Cause has taken in more than 65 animals, compared to their usual 40, pushing the shelter well beyond its comfortable capacity.
"We can only take so many because we only have four kennels for the big dogs, because we have to accommodate them. And we have to make sure that we're not taking them out of a bad situation and putting them in another situation that is not gonna work for them. We make everybody comfortable here," Spreitzer said.
Currently, the shelter has a wait-list of 50 dogs needing placement. Spreitzer is urging community members to consider fostering dogs to help create space for those in urgent need.
"If you're an animal lover and you say you can't do it, yes you can because there's other dogs lives on the line. The dog that you take out of our place saves another life and you have to understand that," Spreitzer said.
For those unable to foster, Spreitzer encourages volunteering to help enrich the lives of sheltered animals during what can be a lonely time.
"There are thousands dying every single day here in Kentucky. And the laws need to change here to make things better and spay and neuter. We would not have the numbers we have every single year if we had laws in effect that would give us that spay and neuter for that animal. They would not be reproducing at this rate," Spreitzer said.
