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A northwest Indiana animal shelter issued a desperate plea on Facebook, begging the community to "see our struggles" as it copes with dozens of animals dumped on its property weekly and hundreds of calls from people looking to surrender animals.
Humane Indiana, a non-profit shelter in Munster, wrote a lengthy Facebook post, in which it said three dogs were left unattended on shelter grounds Thursday alone.
Shelter staff posted a picture of one dog who they said was tied to a gazebo after it had closed for the day.
"Luckily for her, a Volunteer was driving by the Shelter and noticed her trembling in the cold," the shelter said in its Facebook post. "If this dog had been left out in freezing temperatures, with snow and sleet on the way and no access to food, water, or shelter, she very likely may not have survived the night."
Staff stressed the importance of following the proper protocol when seeking shelter for an animal through the facility.
"Our resources are already stretched thin; our kennels are full, our staff is tired, and when we are operating beyond our capacity it affects the animals most of all," the post continued. "Their stress levels are increased with longer average lengths of stay, and we cannot dedicate as much one-on-one time to each animal when we are scrambling to find space for more and more animals left at our doors each day."
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Owner surrenders and strays are coming in at "rates we have never seen before," the shelter stated, while "adoption rates are at an all-time low across the country."
"We need to work together to bring balance back to animal welfare organizations, and we must rely on our community to help:," the post continued.
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The shelter called on people to do the following: adopt or foster, spay and neuter their pets and make both material and monetary donations.
