MUSKEGON, Mich. — Pound Buddies Animal Shelter in Muskegon is using social media to alert pet owners by name that their dogs are being cared for, and that they need to be picked up.
Executive Director Lana Carson told 13 ON YOUR SIDE that social media is increasingly being used a means of reuniting dogs with their owners due to the large volume of dogs arriving with no identification.
"I think our highest month, we'll have over 110, 115, 120 dogs come in, and three to five will have some sort of identification," said Carson. "Properly identifying a dog when they're coming in has been very frustrating and very challenging, so the nice thing is, with social media these days, it's now another way of getting a photo out."
Carson said they are seeing more and more dogs being brought into their shelter. Many of those dogs come with issues such as a lack of ID collars, lack of microchips or microchips with outdated contact info. And when they can't identify owners it just further delays reunification, putting more strain on the shelter's ability to take in dogs in need.
"When we get to a critical capacity like this, and this year has been tough, we have had to shut down intake. That is not something that we want to do," said Carson. "We understand the ramifications that that puts animals who are in need of help that are on the streets, that puts them in jeopardy."
Carson said Pound Buddies' capacity is 106, and that they currently have 132 dogs.
Social media, Carson explained, has become a useful tool for being able to reach the families of lost dogs who may be in situations where they are unable to come to the shelter. Such as being out of town, experiencing hospitalization or other difficulties.
Other situations delaying reunification, however, Carson said can easily be prevented by owners, like making sure dogs have identification.
Carson said the greatest step is to prevent dogs from becoming lost in the first place.
"It's not any shelters issue, that has to come from each and every person that owns a pet. It is their responsibility," said Carson. "This problem stems from the community, as soon as that dog gets loose, that's when all the problems start."
If dogs do get loose, Carson said it is best to contact the area's animal shelter as soon as possible, so that if the dog is found, or has already been brought in by animal control, police, or a neighbor, they can then reunite them as soon as possible.
She also added that at Pound Buddies, there is no lodging fee if a dog is picked up within 24 hours. There is also no fee if the owners have a dog license, and will give a grace period if the owner needs to get a license and will provide vaccinations.
Carson said to also communicate with a shelter if there are financial hardships involved with paying for lodging.