Crowding remains a problem at animal shelter

Jul. 2—Facing a crowded facility, the St. Joseph Animal Shelter is finding some success with a new process that aims to make adopting a new pet as easy as can be.

The transition started in May when the shelter ditched its application process in exchange for a "first-come, first-serve" policy. According to senior animal care specialist Aubrey Silvey, this was done in an attempt to prevent wait times for those looking to adopt.

"What we saw out of that was a lot of people would put in the applications and never call us back," Silvey said. "People who were walking through our front door that are excited and ready to adopt weren't able to have a lot to choose from. It really slowed down the adoption process."

While the policy change has led to more foot traffic in the animal shelter, it hasn't brought overall numbers down. That's because, like other shelters across the country, the St. Joseph agency has been seeing an increase in the intake of animals for several reasons, including COVID and financial struggles.

Typically the summer months lead to even more strays being brought in.

"Pets get lost for Fourth of July. Fireworks scare them and they run off," Silvey said. "We anticipate to see a lot more pets this time of year."

Residents thinking about adding a pet to their household should come take a look at what's available, she said. The shelter is running a $25 special on all dogs 4 months and older through Monday, July 3.

"We have a lot to choose from, especially this time of year," Silvey said. "If people are looking to adopt or even foster it's a great time to come down and check out what we have, we get new dogs in every single day."

Silvey says that the shelter welcomes anyone to come and ask about animals, whether they're looking to take one home or just see what's going on.

"It's a really hard time for shelters," Silvey said. "Even if you can just volunteer to come down and walk a dog, we greatly appreciate all the support we get."