With the population of animals in the shelter overwhelming its available resources and space, the Humane Society of St. Thomas has stopped accepting new intakes and is making the push for adoptions or temporary foster homes during the month of December.
According to volunteers, the original capacity provided room for 40 dogs and 70 cats, but is now three times that. Along with drop-offs, owners who choose not to spay or neuter their pets result in a revolving door of animals, they said. To get the population under 100, the Humane Society has put the focus on finding “forever homes” for those they currently house, finding more foster families or participants in the Pets With Wings organization who might be willing to fly some pets off-island for care.
With the Home for the Holidays campaign, all adoption fees are waived for December, and all animals have been spayed or neutered, vaccinated and microchipped, according to the shelter.
In the meantime, the Humane Society is also asking residents to secure any pets found within the community until an owner is located.
“It is best to leave these animals in their neighborhood since they are usually not far from their homes, as long as the animal is not in harm’s way,” according to the shelter. “Until intake services are reinstated, please cease any cat trapping and please do not leave any animals in the Humane Society’s outdoor cages. We do not want to deny services, but this break is absolutely necessary to get the shelter population back to a manageable capacity and provide some stress relief for both the staff and animals.”
Residents are encouraged to help combat overpopulation by spaying or neutering pets, a service that the shelter covers. Contact the Humane Society Monday through Wednesday for a voucher in order to make an appointment with a local veterinarian.
For more information on the Humane Society’s programs and services, call 340-775-0599.
