Finding homes for influx of animals in need for National Rescue Dog Day

MISHIWAKA, Ind. -- Animal shelters in Michiana have recently experienced an influx of animals in need.

All 70 of the kennels at the Humane Society of St. Joseph County are at capacity.

To make matters even more difficult, the shelter has nearly 90 dogs in its program, leaving the center to depend heavily on foster homes.

Today is National Rescue Dog Day, and the Humane Society wants to spread the word about the need for volunteers at the center and for foster and adoptive families.

The dogs in the Humane Society come from all walks of life. Some were surrendered after their owners could no longer care for them for financial reasons.

In other more extreme cases, some animals came to the shelter from places where they were starved or hoarded.

According to Genny Brown, Executive Director of the Humane Society of St. Joseph County, “We are having more and more people ask us for help to either surrender their pets or they’ve found pets. They’re not quite sure where to go with these animals. So as the animal control facility for all of St. Joesph County, except for South Bend City because they have the animal resource center, we are above capacity right now for our dogs.”

With this influx of animals, the center hopes that the citizens of St. Joseph County will come to the rescue.

Brown expressed, “We are really hoping that people will come out and adopt or foster, and we are also looking for people to help socialize and exercise these dogs that are in our care.”

Whether it’s a dog or cat, or any other animal at the shelter, the Humane Society encourages anyone with room in their heart or their home to help out by serving as a volunteer, fostering an animal, or even providing a forever home.