APRIL 22, 2022, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A5
Rescue pets overflow shelter
Kennels can be seen at the Marion County Dog Services shelter. The shelter is
almost out of space.
Photo by BEE FLINT
Dogs wait to be adopted at the Marion County Dog Services shelter. The shelter's
manager says more than 94% of dogs left there find a home.
Photo by BEE FLINT
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By BEE FLINT
Of the Keizertimes
The Marion County Dog Services
shelter is almost out of available kennel
space. Dog Services Manager, Melissa
Gable, is urging people to adopt from
their shelter if they are looking to adopt
and to hold any lost dogs they have
found in their neighborhood, if possible.
“We cannot turn stray dogs away.
That then results in never knowing from
one day to the next how many strays are
going to come to us,” Gable said.
The shelter has taken 85 more dogs
this year compared to last year, although
they are not sure as to why.
“We haven't been able to determine
exactly why the numbers are up, but
there has definitely been an increase. It
seems to be that a lot of the dogs that
are coming in aren't getting claimed by
their owners,” Gable said.
The shelter legally has to hold dogs
for 72 hours before they can be put up
for adoption. However, some cases may
be extended for two additional days if
they have information about who the
dog may belong to.
After 72 hours the dog may go to a
rescue, foster home, or up for adoption.
“I tell everyone that time is of the
essence because it's only 72 hours. And
after that 72 hour period, if the dog is
physically and mentally healthy, there
are a lot of different avenues that it
could go down,” she said.
Some dogs may also not be available
for adoption if they still have aggressive
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behaviors.
“Even though the kennels may be
full, there might only be a small portion
of them that are available for adoption
because the other ones aren't available,”
Gable said.
If your dog goes missing, there are
some options you can take. Gable sug-
gests that people make posters and
search around their neighborhood first.
“I think what people don't realize is
that a lot of dogs stay within one to two
miles of their home when they go miss-
ing,” she said.
After that, a lost dog report can be
filled out on the Marion County Dog
Services website. Anyone that finds a
stray dog can also fill out a form on the
website.
To best ensure that your pets don’t
escape, it is important to check their
environment. Make sure gates are closed
and fences haven’t blown down or can be
jumped over. Gable mentions that it is
also important to check that dogs can’t
jump onto something to then jump over
the fence.
“Make sure that everything is secure
before you put your dog out and leave
for the day or even for a couple hours,”
she said.
A lot of people have been concerned
about the number of dogs being euth-
anized, especially in a full shelter.
However, Gable wants to make it clear
that things have changed a lot over the
years.
“Our live release rate, which is the
percentage of dogs that are leaving the
shelter, is right around 94% right now,”
she said.
Gable mentions that this is mostly
due to rescue partners, adopters and
foster parents. The Marion County Dog
Services wants to continue working on
the foster program so that once a dog
is done with the 72 hour hold, they will
go into a foster home. They are hoping
to get this program in place before July
4th.
“We really need to expand our foster
base right now. We have a core group
that is amazing, but as we're wanting to
send more dogs out, we're going to need
a lot more homes,” Gable said.
They are also looking for volunteers
that can walk the dogs and help around
the shelter. Training is required.
For more information about volun-
teering and adopting, visit https://www.
co.marion.or.us/CS/DogServices/