15 dogs arrive at Humane Society of Vero Beach and Indian River County – TCPalm

INDIAN RIVER COUNTY Ten adult dogs and five puppies slated for euthanasia at an undisclosed rural northwestFlorida shelter have been rescued by the Humane Society of Vero Beach and Indian River County.

The dogs arrived Thursday at the shelter on 77th Streetand are undergoing examination by shelter veterinarians and other personnel.

According to societyCEO Kate Meghji, the dogs are part of a nationwide problem experienced at shelters across the country since the start of the pandemic.

For years, intake at shelters has been going down, but in 2022, weve seen a jump in owner surrenders and strays in many areas, said Meghji. Even at our shelter, owner surrenders are up 20% so far this year.

Meghji attributes the jump to issues with housing, where owners have had to downsizeresidences, move in with family and in some cases, became homeless.

Help make room: Adopt or foster dogs who've been atHumane Society a while

Leash law: Pet cats shouldn't roam free inIndian Rver County

A lot of times, we are able to help and keep pets with their families, said Meghji. "But sometimes, people are just left with no other options.

The dogs from the Panhandle were turned over to the shelter by owners who could no longer afford to care for them, or they were picked up by animal control.

Theyreceived little or no medical care, were not spayed or neutered, had no vaccinations and no socializationall things that the Humane Society of Vero Beach and Indian River County.is ready and willing to provide.

The adult dogs are mixed breed, something Meghji likes to call designer hybrids, but most of the puppies seem to be some type of hound mix. Although they appear to be in good health, Meghji said she will quarantine the dogs until they make sure its safe to expose them to other shelter animals.

Once the dogs are available for adoption, the shelter will place them for adoption in stages to minimize the stress an animal often feels when moving from a shelter to home environment. Some will make it to foster care while they recuperate from any medical needs they may have before they can be adopted permanently.

Janet Begley is a local freelance writer for TCPalm.com.If you like articles like this and other TCPalm coverage of Treasure Coast news, pleasesupport our journalism and subscribe.

The rest is here:

15 dogs arrive at Humane Society of Vero Beach and Indian River County - TCPalm