HAYDEN, ID. — It's National Pet Day, and what better way to celebrate than adopting a new furry friend.
If you're thinking of adopting a new pet, the Companions Animal Center in Kootenai County might be a good place to check.
It's currently at full capacity, and is no longer taking surrenders.
Debbie Jeffrey, the executive director of the Companions Animal Center, describes the current situation at the center in Hayden, Idaho as "the worst that I've ever seen it."Â
As you walk toward the shelter, you're greeted with a rude awakening: a sign that says "No Surrenders Currently Being Accepted."
Inside, you have the pick of the litter: 50 dogs in kennels hoping to find their forever home.Â
"When they choose to adopt, everything is done," Jeffrey said. "They're spayed or neutered. They're microchipped. They have their current on all their shots, they get flea treatments, they get de-wormed and most of the dogs when they go out are good for a year on their shots."
Adoption at the center costs anywhere from $50-$200. One dog, Axe, and his brother were surrendered for euthanasia after a porcupine lodged its quills into their faces.
Rather than euthanizing them, staff chose to save them instead. Both Axe and his brother are up for adoption, and the shelter is nothing short of loving pups available for adoption.
"We're getting calls from owners wanting to surrender," Jeffrey said. "We have no room because we are full in animal control. So what we're seeing is that they're letting the dogs loose. So we're still getting them in, but we're getting them in through the backdoor through animal control."
As one staff member showed the book of dogs waiting to be surrendered, she says it's never been thicker. Jeffrey said this is why adopting is so important.
"You're given a dog that has already been born and somebody doesn't want it, they abandoned it on purpose," Jeffrey said. "They let it loose. You're giving it a chance to find a home and it will love you unconditionally until the end of the day."
It's not only dogs. The center is also at full capacity when it comes to cats.
