by Chris Munzing
Lately, however, the Long Beach Animal Shelter has seen more dogs come through its doors than it has in years. The shelter is dangerously close to its capacity. Once it reaches it, dogs that have been housed there the longest could face euthanization.
The shelter, at 707 Evans Blvd., houses these homeless dogs, along with cats and almost any other potential pet that shows up on its doorstep, until adopters come and takes them home. "We get the dogs that nobody wants, the big ones," said Marion Taylor of the Long Beach Humane Society.
The shelter, run largely by volunteers, has the capacity to house 14 dogs. Currently, it has 11 in residence.
"We try to adopt them out so that we never get full," said volunteer Bobby McDermott. "If it was up to me, I'd take them all home." McDermott or his wife comes by every day to take the dogs out for walks one at a time.
Taylor said that the shelter usually adopts out one dog a week, and takes in a dog every 10 to 14 days. Normally, the shelter is never in danger of reaching its capacity, but several recent factors have forced the shelter to prepare for the worst.
According to Taylor, the Labor Day weekend was hard, because so many residents were either out of town or with family. The weekend is the peak time for adoptions, because people have more free time. Taylor also added that an advertisement that was supposed to appear in Newsday was mistakenly left out of this past weekend's edition.
Taylor is quick to point out that the dogs are kept healthy with regular checkups by a veterinarian. Most are neutered, or "fixed," and all of the dogs are well-behaved, said Taylor. "We don't adopt out dangerous dogs," she said. "We know if it gets with along with children and along with other animals."
The shelter is dedicated to keeping the animals healthy and suitable for adoption. When one dog, Jake, was left for the shelter, he was in bad shape. "Jake came in with a dislocated hip," Taylor said of the pooch, who is now in good health.
The facility is also dedicated to making sure that every animal is given a good home. People looking to adopt are interviewed by the staff to make sure that the home provided will be a safe and loving one. The volunteers are very attached to the animals and know what type of environment the animals need.
Taylor said that many times, people would rather have a new puppy or a purebred dog than an older dog. But Taylor said that an older dog has its advantages. "They have the most love and they're the most grateful after being adopted," she said. "That's what people call us and tell us."
However, should the shelter continue to fill up and reach its capacity, any new dogs brought in means that the dogs that have been there the longest will be euthanized.
For more information on adoption or temporary foster homes for pets, or about the Long Beach Humane Society, call 889-PETS or 431-5699.
