LOUISVILLE, Ky. — As effects of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to cause shortages for many businesses across the country, animal shelters are feeling it. That includes Louisville's Animal Care Society.

The no-kill adoption agency for dogs and cats is a volunteer-driven organization, and that's why longtime volunteer Wendy Bade continues to come back.

“It is especially touching to me when we get older dogs like this and can get them homes and get them back into homes real quick," Bade said. "Without people like us we’d have a lot of dogs on the streets."

Bade has been a volunteer since 2007 and she wears many hats: feeding, cleaning and the best part – caring for the many animals the shelter houses.

“I don't have to think about work, I don't have to think about the pressures of the job so it's a really good mental release for me to volunteer,” Bade said. “Plus I feel like you're giving back to the community, you're helping dogs and cats.”

But volunteers like Bade are hard to come by these days. The Animal Care Society, like many shelters state-wide, is experiencing a volunteer shortage.

“We are trying to kind of formalize it, bring people in, make training really fun, engaging so that when you come here to volunteer you know exactly what's needed of you and when because we are in great need especially as we keep getting calls to bring in more cats and dogs,” said Jennifer Tsegai, executive director of the Animal Care Society.

After relocating from a humane society that had to put down dogs in Missouri to now a no-kill shelter with the Animal Care Society, Bade said there's no greater feeling than knowing that dogs will eventually find their fur-ever home.

“So it's great to be able to take dogs that might not have an opportunity elsewhere and bring them here,” Bade said. “Then people have to surrender their dogs. It's just really good that they have this option and I think a lot of people pick us because we are no-kill.”

As of November of 2021, the Animal Care Society has found homes for 420 animals.