PORT ANGELES — The Welfare for Animals Guild is urging Clallam County leaders to consider creating a public animal shelter, saying private rescue groups are struggling to keep up with the need.
WAG Director of Ranch Operations Mel Marshall and Board President Barb Brabant raised the issue Wednesday during the Clallam Economic Development Council’s Coffee with Colleen program.
Marshall says Clallam County no longer has a public-funded shelter that can routinely take stray or surrendered animals, leaving private rescue groups to help fill the gap.
“We need a public animal shelter in this county. I don’t know what the statistics are of how many animals, meaning dogs and cats, domestic animals there are per capita for the people. I know it’s a lot. And we are really tired and we know the other rescue groups are really tired and it does take us away from the animals we already have, which is quite sad,” said Marshall.
WAG says people who find stray dogs are sometimes asked to keep them temporarily while volunteers try to find the owners. WAG also scans dogs for microchips and helps law enforcement when space is available.
Marshall urged the public to contact county leaders about establishing a shelter. She says such a facility would require county funding, a location, staff and money to operate.
Marshall says the lack of a public shelter can create problems beyond handling strays. She says some people needing medical care have been reluctant to go to the hospital because they have nowhere to leave their dogs. In some cases, dogs have gone along in ambulances, leaving hospital staff to find somewhere for them to stay.
WAG says a public shelter could provide temporary care in those situations without requiring people to give up their pets.
WAG receives no county funding. The organization says its veterinary bills frequently top $100,000 a year and it has adopted out more than 2,300 dogs since 2001.