Post by @acowolcott

This is the reality behind the scenes of animal control, and I want to give some perspective on the urgent plea my shelter put out today. We responded to a call for 16 dogs who had been left behind at a property after their owner moved away more than three weeks ago and never returned. These dogs were in rural Fresno County, including a pit bull who had been abandoned in her kennel with no one to care for her. It was 103° in Fresno today. So what were we supposed to do? Leave them there? We brought all 16 dogs into our shelter, but we had to figure out where those 16 dogs were going to go. And the truth is, we don’t always know exactly what we’re walking into until we physically get to the property and assess the situation. We knew we had multiple dogs, but we didn’t know the exact number until we were there. That’s why our shelter put out an urgent plea for rescues, fosters and adopters. We needed to open enough kennel space for the dogs coming in. I saw some people upset that the plea was put out so last minute. But please understand, it was last minute for us too. And usually always is. We don’t know what each day is going to bring. We don’t know what calls are going to come through or how many animals will suddenly need to be brought into the shelter. Our kennels stay full, and many of us are working around the clock trying to find fosters, adopters and rescue placements to create space for the next animal who needs us. We are the animal control agency contracted to serve Fresno County, and we are legally obligated to take these animals in. We don’t have the option to simply say we’re full and turn them away. And if we did…what would have happened to these dogs left abandoned in an orchard with no one caring for them? What would have happened to that pit bull sitting alone in her kennel in 103° heat? She very likely would have died. So we take them. And then we scramble. This is tough work. There are tough decisions being made all day, every day. We are constantly triaging situations, making space, reaching out to rescues, searching for fosters and trying to figure out how to save the next animal while the shelter is already full. We are incredibly grateful for our amazing rescue partners who continue to come through for us when we need them. But we also need to be able to rely on our community too. Because the shelter didn’t create this problem. The animals that need us didn’t create it either. This is a community-created issue, and we’re the ones left picking up the pieces. Shelters and rescues, day after day. Our kennels are now at critical capacity, and there are still animals out there who need us. So please, if you can foster, adopt, rescue, or even just share, you are helping us make space for the next animal who desperately needs our help. 501c3 Rescues: 📩RESCUE@FRESNOHUMANE.ORG #fyp #animalcontrol #animalrescue #help #spayandneuter