By MARGIE TRAX PAGE - Staff Writer - mtrax@starbeacon.com
KINGSVILLE — Gail, the yellow Labrador, just doesn’t understand.
Her ears, which were once so infected they drained pus, are feeling better. Her inflamed skin is healed. A huge tumor still bulges from under her skin, but things were looking up for Gail. Gail still doesn’t have a home, and now, amid dozens of other dogs, Gail again faces a life-or-death situation.
The Ashtabula County Animal Protective League will begin euthanizing dogs for space, board president Diane Carr confirmed Thursday, unless 20 percent of the shelter population is adopted soon.
“Our shelter limit is 80 dogs, and we are almost always over that limit,” Carr said. “We get to a place where we have to really scramble to find homes for as many dogs as possible. Right now, we are trying to head off the possibility of euthanasia by contacting rescues and asking people to consider adopting a dog.”
The APL shelter, located on Green Road, can house as many as 80 dogs comfortably. With the number of dogs topping 102 on Thursday, Carr said shelter workers are overwhelmed with work and the APL’s budget is feeling the strain of too many mouths to feed.
“I guess we are just asking rescues to come forward for special-needs dogs and also asking people to consider us first when they are looking for a pet. People want a dog, and they go to a breeder when there are so many great dogs here at the shelter that desperately need homes,” she said.
Carr said the shelter has puppies, dogs and senior dogs of all breeds, ages and sizes, including Labrador retrievers, hounds, Rottweilers, shar peis, beagles, shepherds and many mixed breeds.
Special-needs animals, like Gail and a deaf senior dog and a blind senior dog, are at the top of the euthanasia list, Carr said.
“We can’t always make happy endings happen for all dogs, but we try. We are trying right now. We are working to find good homes for these dogs. No one wants to get to the point where we are putting animals down,” she said.
Carr also said the shelter is desperate for donations of canned cat and dog food to help entice sick animals to eat.
“Overcrowding causes a multitude of problems,” she said, “including respiratory problems. Some animals get so overwhelmed with shelter life that they become picky about their food or just don’t have an appetite. We need the canned food for those animals.”
The APL shelter, located on Green Road, is open 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. every day but Wednesday. For more information, call the shelter (440 224-1222) or visit www.petfinder.com to see the list of pets available for adoption.
