CLEWISTON, Fla. — Overcrowding is a big problem at the Clewiston Animal Shelter, but the shelter says it hopes recent facility upgrades will help.
As Fox 4’s Hendry County Community Correspondent, I work in this area every day, so I talked to the Shelter Manager and the Clewiston Chief of Police about upgrades like new play-yards and the support they’re getting to bring hope to their four-legged residents.
Dogs barked and puppies played outside, enjoying one of the brand new AstroTurfed play-yards. But, Chief of Police, Tom Lewis, said things look a bit different inside. Watch my full report here...
“Right now, we have about 35 dogs and 36 cats, and we’re a facility that was designed to hold about 14 dogs, and maybe around 35-30 cats,” said Lewis.
Lewis explained that unfortunately, it’s very common for rural communities like Clewiston to see so many strays, saying, “We deal with backyard breeders, and that certainly brings a lot more animals into the shelter on an annual basis.”
With so many animals coming through, Lewis said the facility needed updating. With the help of community donations, Lewis said they added air-conditioned kennels, and the AstroTurf play-yards with refrigerated water bowls.
“These animals get more time to play, they get some more time out, which ultimately makes them more adoptable,” said Lewis. Clewiston Animal Shelter’s Manager, Heather Orina, added, “It’s always stressful for the animals if you don’t have that proper environment for them.”
Orina aid the play-yards can double as overflow to help with overcrowding, and as a proud “no-kill shelter”, she said she reaches out to local humane societies to help find homes for the animals.
“Gulf Coast came and took 30 animals from us - it was amazing. They helped out by also bringing donations like things we really needed here at the shelter,” said Orina.
To reduce the amount of stray cats in Clewiston, Lewis said the shelter has a “trap, neuter, vaccinate, release” program.
“Cats that are feral - unadoptable cats - are ultimately vaccinated, neutered, and put back into the community to try to reduce the feral cat population. So far, we’ve seen a reduction of about 47% of cat intakes,” Lewis explained.
Plus, Orina said the shelter has a zero fee adoption program, with a refundable deposit once the animal gets spayed or neutered. If you’re thinking of adopting, Orina said to keep an eye on the shelter’s Facebook page to stay updated on the animals that come through.
