More animals staying at regional shelter

The cages are bulging with dogs and cats at the Spokane County Regional Animal Protection Services shelter in Spokane Valley.

The facility has sheltered 62 percent more animals this month compared with the same time last year, SCRAPS Director Nancy Hill said. By November 2004, the shelter has housed a total of 252 homeless cats and dogs, compared to 407 so far this year.

A feline’s average stay at the shelter is one to seven days, Hill said. A dog can be a resident at the shelter for a week to two weeks.

Hill is asking for the community’s help in addressing the current pet overpopulation crisis.

“We need to work on a local solution,” Hill said. With snow in the mountain passes and high gasoline prices, the shelter hasn’t been able to transfer as many pets out to other Washington shelters for possible adoption.

The public can be a part of the solution by adopting a cat or dog, spaying or neutering pets, licensing cats and dogs, volunteering at the shelter, giving monetary donations to the shelter and helping spread the word that every pet owner should be responsible.

For more information, call SCRAPS at 477-2532.