Story and photos by Alaina Clarke
The Jones County Animal Shelter is still fighting daily to save the lives of many cats and dogs since the pardon, which didn’t clear the shelter. There is still hope for many of the animals that remain, but time does not stand still.
Jennifer Allen, the director of Jones County Animal Services, said they still have pardoned dogs at the shelter, and they always stay full. She said she was hoping Shane’s War had gotten more out, but she’s grateful for all the dogs and cats that did leave.
“The pardon event wasn’t as successful as I had hoped,” she said. “I think a lot of that is due to the economy, and it being post COVID. Gas prices are going up and prices in general are going up, so people just can’t afford dogs. It’s been business as usual.”
She said they are going to have another event at Tractor Supply in Gray on Sept. 10. She said they will be bringing dogs to be adopted out. She said they will be there from around 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. She said she wants to find them a home.
“We have such an influx of calls of strays running around, litters being born and the more animals we pick up, the more we stay full.
If we can find homes for these animals, then we can handle other calls where people are having issues. We have to turn animals down if it’s not an emergency situation if we stay full,” Allen said.
The director said she would love for all of the cats and dogs at the shelter to find love, have somewhere to lay their head each night and have a regular meal each day.
She said a lot of the animals at the shelter have never experienced any of that. She said she wants to make that happen.
“Getting animals spayed and neutered is very important, because it contributes to the overpopulation problem we have here in Jones County,” the director said.
“It also causes health issues. They can develop certain cancers if they aren’t fixed. There are some low-cost options out there.”
She said people should be mindful of the leash laws, and understand dumping animals is illegal. They still need donations at the shelter, especially puppy and kitten food, wet and dry.
She said the items the shelter needs most can be found on their Amazon wishlist by visiting amzn. to/3ATi8V2.
Allen said if anyone wants to adopt an animal from the Jones County Animal Shelter, they can stop by, fill out some information and find their family pet. She said if people don’t want to adopt, they can still volunteer if they wish to just spend time with the animals.
“Volunteering helps to make a difference in these animals’ lives.
They can get the attention we might not be able to always give them,” she said. “To that cat or dog it means everything. For the person who is volunteering, it can relieve stress and makes you feel good about making a difference. If it turned into an adoption, that would be wonderful.”
