Fresno is ‘ground zero’ for those of us fighting to help homeless pets. Most people don’t realize how bad the crisis is in our community, or how hard shelter staff & rescues work to save lives. Here’s just a taste (3 days worth) of what we face in Fresno County...
MONDAY—50 new intakes in one day, including 15 neglected seniors from one property!! Several litters of stray puppies are stowed in the office restrooms to keep them safe. Kennels are at capacity, but we get a little breathing room when 10 dogs are loaded up and driven to Paso Robles to meet Santa Barbara Humane. On board are 3 amazing pit bulls who didn’t stand a chance in the Valley!
TUESDAY—At 5:00am, 21 dogs are driven to Merced where they are transferred to Oregon Humane’s bus for the long drive to Portland. Phew! Meanwhile, back at the shelter 34 new intakes arrive throughout the day. More puppies! Staff juggles to find kennel space.
WEDNESDAY—Pregnant mama who arrived the day before starts giving birth in her kennel, but experiences complications. After one pup her poor body looks ready to give up—she’s rushed to the ER for fluids and possibly an emergency C-section. (While we’re there, we pick up the little pit pup who came in injured. His left eye had to be removed to save his life.) Back at the shelter, 3 young pups who came in the day before test positive for parvo. HELP!! Our incredible partners at Humane Society of Silicon Valley agree to take the sick puppies AND the mama in labor if we can get them to Milpitas immediately. So we load everyone up and send a staff member to the Bay Area right then and there. Wednesday isn’t over, but 15 more stray animals have entered the shelter just today. A large shepherd pup brought in just before closing tests positive for parvo... sigh!
FRESNO!!! Please help us and join the battle!! Spay & neuter every pet you can! Our community cannot absorb litter after litter of ‘stray’ puppies & kittens. Keep your pets safe at home and make sure they have tags & microchips so that if they do get out, they’ll be able to get back home! Make sure your pets’ vaccines are kept up to date to prevent illness. And if you’re looking to add a pet, ADOPT from a local shelter or rescue—100’s of lives are waiting to be saved RIGHT NOW! Pet overpopulation is a community problem. We are desperate for our community to roll up their sleeves and get involved. Together we can end the suffering of homeless pets.
