Christ Yoder
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“The goal is to have our own separate group of people who just do (trap, sterilize and release) stuff year round, because that’s a big need in this community,” Reck said. “The cats in the community are smart, they can survive, but they still need to be spayed and neutered.”
Volunteers are stretched
The influx of cases of accumulation, stray kittens and newborn kittens has implications for the shelter’s ability to care for the animals and ultimately get them adopted.
Many volunteers have stayed at home throughout the pandemic due to their high susceptibility to the virus. Although PACC has a group of dedicated volunteers who take care of the animals, they are running out of steam.
“The volunteers who were here and went through COVID, they’re especially exhausted right now because they’ve been with us the entire time. They care so much about these pets, but they take care of themselves. Said Reck. “We’re slowly getting more volunteers, which is great. But these volunteers who have been through it all, they now have more dogs to walk than they ever had.
With fewer staff available to care for an increasing number of animals, the chances of animal adoption decrease.
“When we’re overcrowded, each animal gets less of our time, less time out of their kennels,” Holliger said. “There are days when there aren’t enough volunteers to walk them all. Thus, some days the dogs do not come out of their kennels. The less time we spend with them, the faster they will decline, and the longer they stay here, the more they will decline. When people get into their kennels, they will not be adoptable.
