PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — On Thursday, as many animal shelters continue to operate over capacity across the sunshine state, The Animal Welfare League of Charlotte County (AWL) said in their 60-year existence they have never seen an increase like this.
AWL board President Cherie George told Fox 4 the shelter still has lingering damages they can't afford to fix, leftover from Hurricane Ian.
“Ian played a very very major role in our influx of animals,” said George.
George said the no-kill shelter is overrun with animals, and also short-staffed on volunteers.
“So just in the first week of September we have had 33 cats and 28 dogs come through our doors,” said Adams.
Dayna Adams, the shelter’s Intake Supervisor said she doesn't mind doing multiple jobs a day but said her big concern is the lack of available space for the increase in animals.
“None of these dogs should be living like this, we need more capacity,” is what AWL's Executive Director Kriss Steffens told Fox 4 as our crew toured the facility.
“After the hurricane, a lot of the trees we had came down,” said Steffens.
Steffens said that meant a lot of the outdoor kennel paver floors were ripped apart by uprooted trees during the storm.
Steffens said AWL was asking for monetary donations that would help with the repairs needed within the shelter.
Click here to connect/ donate to AWL.
The animal shelter is also looking for more volunteers and as always, asking the public to consider adopting one of their animals.
