The Humane Society of Leflore County has seen an influx of animals, but it isn’t being blamed on the usual spring baby boom.
The Ione Street shelter is housing 45 kittens, 19 adult cats, 33 puppies and 32 adult dogs, and the numbers continue to grow.
Aubrey Whittington says it has to do with the economy. This is the largest number of animals she has seen at the shelter during her tenure as a volunteer and president of the board.
“It is a constant surge,” she said. “When we open the night deposit box, animals are spilling out.”
And it’s not just one animal here and there; Whittington said they have gotten multiple litters of eight and nine puppies along with the mother dogs.
“It is expensive to spay and neuter animals,” she said. “But when they have babies, people don’t have the means to take care of all those animals, and they often get dropped off here.”
The shelter already had been taking in more animals than usual since the start of the recession, but it has hit an all-time high, according to Debbie Clark, executive director of the Humane Society of Leflore County.
“Because of the economy, people are losing their jobs and are no longer able to keep their pets,” she said.
Some animals have come from multi-pet homes, some from older citizens and others from families who have lost their homes and are forced into apartments.
Clark, who took over as executive director in January, is the only full-time staff at the shelter. She had previously been a volunteer, but her love of animals and interest in helping them find loving homes led her to employment.
“It’s not just coming in and playing with animals,” Clark said. “We are trying to provide them with all the necessities plus personal attention and love.”
When large numbers of animals are coming in, shelters need just as many being cycled out to make room.
With the help of Sharon Stone, a Humane Society volunteer, the shelter has been using rescues and websites to find vet-approved homes for the animals of Leflore County across the country.
“Adoptions are low,” Clark said. “But we are having some.”
The dynamic duo sent a group of 20 animals to Germantown, Tenn., last week to be picked up and delivered to their new owners.
The Internet has helped many families interested in adopting pets. Still, the shelter is still bursting at the seams with animals.
From cleaning to adopting, the shelter depends on a team of volunteers and donations from the community to keep its doors open.
“There is constant demand, which means there is constant cleaning and feeding,” Whittington said.
Donations have been down, but they continue to come in.
“The checks may be smaller, but the need is greater,” Whittington said.
Whittington said the shelter is looking for a area business to become a dropoff spot.
“We want it to be convenient for people to donate,” she said. “The shelter is out of the way, and some people don’t want to deal with the sadness.”
The shelter also needs dog food, puppy food and canned kitten food.
• Contact Andrea Hall at ahall@gwcommonwealth.com.
