Eastern Carolina animal shelter rescues 14 puppies; goes over capacity

GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) - When one western North Carolina animal shelter became overwhelmed after taking in more than 80 dogs, an Eastern Carolina rescue stepped in to help.

A group of 14 ten-week-old puppies arrived at the Humane Society of Eastern Carolina. They are part of a group of 80 dogs surrendered to the Davidson County Animal Shelter in the past week.

Community Engagement Coordinator Morgan May says the Eastern Carolina rescue stepped in to relieve some of the workload.

“My heart goes out to them and their staff,” May said. “And I’m so grateful for all the work that they’re doing. We’re so glad that we were able to help and our fosters were able to pull these animals.”

Even though the humane society is helping Davidson County out, it’s also dealing with its own overflow.

“It’s not just us,” May said. “It’s every shelter and rescue. Not just in Eastern North Carolina, but across the United States. They’re just overflowing with owner surrenders and stray animals.”

May believes the reason for such an overflow is related to the pandemic.

“A lot of people got animals so they didn’t get neutered,” May said. “So, they reproduce. A lot of people didn’t think about going back to their normal lives and that they wouldn’t be able to keep their dogs, so we’ve been seeing a lot of 3-year-old puppies and dogs that aren’t that socialized being surrendered to shelters.”

There are options for anyone having trouble taking care of their pets.

“We have different groups out here. We have Eastern NC Pets 2.0 which is a great group for rehoming,” May said. “And if you reach out to us, you can rehome your pets safely and responsibly.”

If you hope to help the Eastern Carolina Humane Society as they endure overflow, CLICK HERE.

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