STERLING, Mass. — Casper is one of 40 pets available for adoption at the Sterling Animal Shelter. Leigh Grady is urgently seeking homes for these dogs, cats and small animals as they await word from partners needing help re-homing pets affected by Hurricane Helene and the approaching Hurricane Milton.

“It’s kind of a waiting situation to see who needs help,” Grady said.

Grady is disaster and rescue certified. She has firsthand experience with the devastation major storms can cause and has transported numerous dogs and cats this season.

“They know it’s coming,” she said. “They know it’s hurricane season, or tornadoes are coming.”

As more calls come in, Grady is struggling to make space because the shelter is already at capacity.

“Since COVID, adoptions have gone down. With the economy being so poor, surrenders are up,” Grady said. “Most shelters nationwide are really busting at the seams.”

The shelter used to facilitate 50 adoptions a week; now it achieves that number over the course of a month.

“We used to have a two- to three-day stay for them. Now we’re seeing stays of two, three, four weeks, or even longer, depending on the pet, breed, sex or color,” she said.

As shelters across the country grapple with the increasing demand to find homes for more animals, Grady worries about the implications for the future.

“It’s very sad because they’re being euthanized by the tens of thousands every single week,” Grady said. “The biggest thing people can do is spay and neuter their pets. That is the best way to combat overpopulation and end the homeless pet issue.”

While Grady awaits calls to assist, she encourages animal lovers to adopt a new forever friend.

“We have a little bit of everything, and we think if people come down to meet them, they’ll fall in love,” she said.