LOUISVILLE, Ky. — There’s an issue of repeated overcrowding inside Louisville Metro Animal Services, and they need the community’s help to fix it.
The shelter is now at capacity with dogs, despite a successful recent adoption event.
Shelter officials say there’s something every pet owner can do to help if they don’t plan to adopt or foster.
Doing his daily work is a labor of love for Tyler Burgin. He’s an adoption coordinator with Louisville’s Metro Animal Services.
Burgin gets in around 7 a.m. daily. He starts his day cleaning cages, feeding and caring for animals.
“It’s a very fulfilling job. Definitely go home at the end of the day feeling good about saving lives,” Burgin, an adoption coordinator at Louisville Metro Animal Services, said.
One animal he cares for is a 2-year-old Red Boxer/Labrador mix, Tongo. She’s been at the shelter since May 10.
On May 13, over 100 of her canine cousins were adopted at the shelter’s successful mega adoption event involving several agencies.
“We actually exceeded our goal of getting 100 dogs adopted from all these different organizations around the state. It was really just an amazing.” said Ashley Book, the Metro Animal Services Director.
Days later, the shelter was back at capacity.
Thirty-three-year-old Burgin has worked at the shelter for three years.
“There’s really never any downtime.” Burgin explained. “It definitely feels like a marathon, being a shelter worker at the moment. We stay close friends with all the other shelter workers, and most shelters in Kentucky right now are definitely dealing with.”
We asked Book why she thinks they’re at capacity.
“It’s just strays coming in and over-the-counter people finding them,” Book said. “We’re bringing them in faster than we can get them out.”
Book said this includes dogs getting away from their owners. They hope people come check and see if their missing cat or dog is at the shelter.
“One of the biggest things is, yes, we need people to come adopt and foster. I say that all the time. I’m sure people are tired of hearing me say it,” she said. “But the biggest thing is, please spay and neuter your pets because shelters, they’re overcrowded because we have just an overpopulation of animals.”
Currently, all dogs over 40 pounds and all cats 6 months and older are free to adopt, Book said. All pets from LMAS come spayed or neutered and microchipped.
“All you have to do is pay for a license, which if you’re in Jefferson County, that’s $10. You really can’t beat it,” she said.
Burgin hopes to see fewer animals come here and more go to forever homes.
“In order to do that, we’re gonna need a lot more people to just kind of work with the animals that they already have. If you’re gonna adopt an animal, you just gotta give it some time to be the animal you want it to be,” Burgin explained. “They all want to make us proud.”
Tongo is adoption ready. She’s still patiently waiting for someone to bring her to her forever home.
If you’re interested in adopting, fostering or rescuing, you can visit the animal shelter at 3516 Newburg Road in Louisville. The Animal House is open every day from 12 to 6 p.m. and until 7 on Fridays.