Salinas animal shelter at 110% capacity in need of adopters and volunteers

SALINAS, Calif. (KION-TV) One Salinas animal shelter is fully staffed but struggling to take care of the over 100 animals they find themselves with. They tell KION a lot of these furry friends have been found abandoned.

Hitchcock Road Animal Services, located at 160 Hitchcock Road, says they are at 110% capacity with 75 dogs and 36 cats as of Thursday.

"We’ve seen an increase in dogs since about May/June," said Cynthia Burnham, an Animal Services Administrator with the shelter. "What we are finding is that dogs are still coming in, but adoptions, fosters, and owners coming to reclaim their animals is reducing."

They do not have a clear answer for the increase but believe a combination of the holidays, the economy, and housing are factors.

They say they have 90 kennels for dogs, and while they could house more in theory... They simply do not have enough staff members to properly care for each animal.

Some dogs need hours of activity, and their staff can only give them up to 15 minutes of daily exercise. It is not fair to the animals that they can't get the attention they deserve, said Burnham.

Burnham was blunt and said eventually, they would have to euthanize some of the animals if people are not adopting them. Burnham said several factors play a part in deciding which animals to euthanize: if they kennel well, mental health, physical health, and other factors.

Burnham said they are always looking for volunteers to help take the load of and encourages people to adopt.

"Overall message is that if people need help, we encourage them to reach out for help before they make a decision to abandon an animal, which is a crime," said Burnham. Foster parents are also encouraged, to at the very least give the fur babies a few days away from the kennel.

You can apply on their website here.

You can also text them for information as follows:

• Text the word “foster” to 1-833-664-0513 for information on how to foster a shelter animal.
• Text the word “volunteer” to 1-833-664-0513 (same #) for information on volunteering and to sign up.
• Text the word “adopt” to 1-833-664-0513(same #) for information on adoption and our adoptable pets.

Volunteers must be 18 years old and must be able to commit to eight hours a month.