Lewiston, ID- The following was released by Lewis Clark Pet Shelter:
We are encouraging the community to help during this critical time. The shelter is continuing to see critically high numbers of animals coming through the shelter doors and slower adoption rates. We are currently at extreme over-capacity, leaving us unable to care for and house new animals.
This crisis is not only happening in our community, but throughout the nation.
Currently, we have 153 animals under our care. We are beyond grateful for our foster families, who are caring for 55 of our shelter animals. In addition, our partnership with the P.A.W.S. Training Program is currently training and working with 8 of our shelter dogs and are halfway through their 8 week training.
“On average, we have three animal care technicians to care for 90 onsite shelter animals per day. Meaning, each technician is responsible for the care of roughly 30 animals” states Director of Operations, Audrey Williams. “Our staff has been working diligently to provide the most basic needs for our animals. Their compassion and strength is admirable but the onset of burnout is inching its way through.”
“Our goal is to reunite pets back with their families, adopt out those that need our help, post-adoption and community support. We recognize that we are facing financial stressors in our community. When we have the available resources, we offer assistance with food, collars, dog beds, towels, etc. If we can assist our community with relieving some financial strain, we want to do so. If pet families are facing behavioral challenges with their pet(s), we want to offer them reliable resources and products to help. We envision a time when our community will seek
LCAS as a primary resource for health services, education, pet support and recreation for animals and their people.”
As a nonprofit organization, the Lewis Clark Animal Shelter serves and is supported by our community. Continued monetary support and food, treat and supply donations continue to make a difference in the lives of the animals at the shelter. As we continue to experience a high volume of animals and with the average length of stay extended, we are asking for our community to continue to help us with our mission.
To our community, we are asking for your help to keep pets in their homes and out of the shelter.
How can you help reunite a lost pet if you’ve found one?
- Ask your neighbors—the dog or cat may live nearby!
- Stop by your local animal shelter to have the pet scanned for a microchip.
- File a found report on our website. https://www.lcshelter.org/file-a-lost-found-report/file/
- Contact your local municipality to file a found report.
- Post the pet on local social media groups.
When someone brings a found pet into the shelter, our staff is trained to go over the options.
● The first step we’ll take is to check for a microchip or any other form of identification. If
the pet has one and we are able to make contact, we’ll ask the finder if they are able to
return the pet to their home or make arrangements with the owner(s).
○ If the pet’s home can’t be found or owner(s) cannot be reached, we’ll ask the
finder if they are willing to temporarily hold and care for the pet, using the
shelter’s available resources and support until an owner can be reached or the
stray hold has ended.
○ If the finder is unable to do either, we will then admit the pet into the shelter.
How can a pet owner help their pet make their way back home, if lost? - Ensure your pet(s) have identification! This can include microchips and name tags with
updated contact information. It’s an important step to ensure your pet’s microchip
information is kept current at all times. Check in with your microchip company to ensure
your pet is registered completely! Unfortunately, if your pet is found, scanned for a
microchip and your contact information is not correct, our attempts in reuniting you with
your pet reduces greatly. - Immediately check in with your local animal shelter! Our staff is always more than
willing to show our community the pets that have made their way here. - Utilize local social media pages to post your lost pet. In addition, file a lost report on our
website. https://www.lcshelter.org/file-a-lost-found-report/file/ - Have current pictures readily available of your pet(s) to most accurately identify.
- As always, it’s important to keep your pet(s) current on all vaccinations in order to keep
them protected from environmental dangers.
With a high volume of animals, medical care needs have also increased. The Lewis Clark Animal Shelter’s current location continues to be a strain on daily and our ability to provide the most adequate care the homeless shelter animals deserve. We look forward to our new shelter home.
The Lewis Clark Animal Shelter’s Building for the Paws will focus on providing a new
state-of-the-art dog and cat housing, with an emphasis on reducing stress and disease
transmission and providing necessary services to our community. For more information on our capital campaign for our new shelter building, please contact Becky Sturmer, LCAS Development Director, [email protected] (208) 746-1623 or visit our website,
https://www.lcshelter.org/building-for-the-paws/
Looking to add a new family member, we ask that you consider adopting. Come visit our current available and pre-selection shelter animals. If you are not able to adopt, please consider donating a bag of food, treats or other items from our wish list.
About Lewis Clark Animal Shelter The Lewis Clark Animal Shelter’s mission is to promote the humane treatment of animals, prevent cruelty to animals and provide education to enhance the human-animal bond and to end pet overpopulation through an aggressive spay/neuter campaign. Vision-Lewis Clark Animal Shelter envisions a time when our community celebrates the human-animal bond, embraces the mutual benefits therein and treats all fellow beings with care, compassion, and respect; a time when LCAS is primarily a resource for health services, education and recreation for
animals and their people.
● We present LCAS as a happy, cheerful place where people come for pet adoption, pet
information and community events.
● Our valley will become a unified community where pets are not stray and unwanted.
● LCAS together with the community becomes a model for achieving a “humane society”.
Visit LCShelter.org or follow us at Facebook, Instagram
References:
https://www.shelteranimalscount.org/is-the-pet-adoption-industry-sliding-into-crisis/
