Local animal shelters fight overcrowding

The Gulf Coast Humane Society is taking dogs and cats from its “shelter partner” in Clewiston to help with overcrowding.

This gives animals a better life as they wait to get adopted.

It also gives animals a better chance of getting adopted, allowing for fresh eyes as well as more foot traffic. Clewiston is in a rural area, so the Gulf Coast Humane Society has a lot more people coming in and out.

“To put it in perspective, today, we have a population of 55 dogs, and our facility was originally designed for 14,” said Tom Lewis, chief of police, Clewiston. “The reality is in a small rural town like this, where we don’t have a lot of staffing or a lot of resources, having folks like from Gulf Coast Humane Society is really just so desperately needed for us.”

The animal shelter picked out 21 dogs and 11 cats to transfer back to their shelter.

“We’re looking at the dogs who’ve been here the longest, and the cats that have been here the longest, and then kind of went from there,” said Darcy Andrade GCHS, executive director. “A lot of animals haven’t been here that long, but they have some medical issues; we will make sure we get those because we have the resources to provide the medical care that’s needed.”

All the dogs and cats from Clewiston will go into the intake at the GCHS, get their vaccinations and examinations, and be scheduled for spay and neutering. Then, they will be ready for adoption.

If you are looking for a furry friend, right now the GCHS has an adoption promotion called Empty the Shelter.

All dogs are $50. If they have been here longer than 90 days, they are $25, and cats are $20.

If you want to drive out to Clewiston, adoptions are free there.

For more information about the Gulf Coast Humane Society, click here.