Shelter raising awareness
It’s not uncommon for volunteers at Washington Area Humane Society animal shelter in Eighty Four to find a box of unwanted kittens waiting at the front door, especially during spring and summer months. Laurelle Dicks, the shelter’s general manager, said the shelter is experiencing an influx of abandoned pets, especially cats.
“We have an overabundance of strays,” Dicks said. “The biggest issues are in the trailer courts throughout the county.”
On Monday, Dicks led a tour of her facility for state Rep. Pam Snyder, D-Jefferson, and members of the Humane Society in an effort to help raise awareness about the importance of adoptions and spaying and neutering pets.
There are currently 70 cats at the shelter, and Dicks said they are in desperate need of food, litter and homes.
“We are a no-kill shelter, but if we get overpopulated we have to turn animals away,” she said. “We are moving animals out, but not as quickly as we are taking them in.”
Lynn Ready-Aspiotes, district leader with the Humane Society of the United States, said part of her role is visiting local communities and learning about the organizations that help animals.
“We are always looking to assist local communities,” she said. “There is always an overabundance of animals. It’s important to encourage people to adopt from shelters.”
Snyder hoped the tour would bring awareness to the shelter and its services. The contingent visited Greene County before stopping at the Washington Shelter.
“It’s so important,” Snyder said of the shelter. “Without it, our streets would be overrun with (animals).”
Kristin and Taylor Prezel, volunteers from Canonsburg, said their love of animals brings them to the shelter once a week to work with the dogs and cats.
Kristin Prezel said dogs are adopted quicker than cats. She encourages everyone looking for a pet to visit the shelter.
“There are just too many out here that are looking for homes,” she said. “They are just as sweet as any other animal.”