At just 14 animals shy of being dangerously overcrowded, Alachua County Animal Services is nearing capacity.
The county facility currently houses about 236 animals, said Vernon Sawyer, the shelter’s director.
“The more animals we have at the facility, the greater the danger of them becoming ill,” he said. “Dogs get kennel cough and cats get upper respiratory infections.”
According to state law, an animal must be held for three days if it does not have identification and five days if it does, Sawyer said.
“A lot of times individuals that come here just want to drop off their animals,” Sawyer said. “They don’t want to listen; they are just done. It’s kind of sad.”
This month, Levy County Animal Services also faced overcrowding, euthanizing its first group of animals based on need since March.
Every day a list of local shelter animals at risk of euthanasia is sent to rescue groups, including the Alachua County Humane Society and Gainesville Pet Rescue.
ACHS executive director Amanda Burks said her organization receives about 15 animals from Animal Services each week, with a goal of an average stay of 30 days or less for each animal.
“The main barrier to assisting Animal Services more is space,” Burks said.
[A version of this story ran on page 5 on 10/28/2014]
