By: Kym Mirabella
Anderson County PAWS is at full capacity, according to Kim Sanders, director and veterinarian at Anderson County PAWS.
Sanders was recently interviewed on WYFF by Jennifer Ready, which uncovered some surprising information.
“We’ve had higher numbers every single month than we’ve ever seen here at the shelter. So it’s really challenging with staff and not knowing what animal control is either going to bring in or call us about every single day. We definitely have more large dogs on site than is normal for us to be housing right now. That’s a big need that we have right now is finding homes for these large dogs.”
Sanders stressed that PAWs’ capacity to care for homeless pets has been at a critical level for almost a year. “There are a lot of people that are trying to re-home their pets or trying to turn their pets into the shelter,” said Sanders. “I think a lot of that has to do with the ability to not be able to care for them, whether it’s medical assistance or even just food, so many people have been reaching out for that assistance as well.”
Although many people would be thrilled to have a pet, sometimes economic conditions can play a role. Sanders explains, “Everywhere you go, things have gone up, and so it’s expensive,” said Sanders. “That’s definitely one of the reasons that we’re seeing more and more people trying to surrender pets here to the shelter.” In December, the shelter posted on Facebook and said it was over capacity, and as of the time of this article Clayton Price, Volunteer and Marketing Coordinator, confirmed they are at a Critical Capacity level.
“I think a lot of it is spay and neuter,” said Sanders. “If you see something, say something. You don’t have to call us or animal control for every little thing. If you see a dog in need, reach out to someone. Do they need a dog house? Do they need a kennel or a tether? Things like that.”
Sanders urges people who come upon a stray dog in their neighborhood to perhaps find the owner before bringing it to the shelter or calling animal control. “We do ask that they take pictures of them, post them on social media and try to find their owners because only about ten percent of the dogs that come here are reclaimed by their owners,” said Sanders.
Sanders said there are many ways to help animals and the community, like fostering, adopting, volunteering, and financial contributions for more information about Anderson County PAWS, go to: https://www.andersoncountysc.org. Please note PAWS is located at 1320 US-29, Anderson, SC 29625 and is open to the public Monday and Tuesday, Thursday – Saturday, 12 pm-5 pm, and closed Wednesday and Sunday.