Contributed Photo / Violet is a mixed-breed female who has been at Chattanooga's McKamey Animal Center for about a year. Many dogs have lived for months at the shelter, which is more overcrowded than ever before. The shelter is asking the community to help by adopting or fostering animals.McKamey Animal Center is asking for the public's help to alleviate space issues at the shelter, where overcrowding is worse than ever before, Director of Advancement Lauren Mann said.
Although McKamey's policy is not to euthanize animals because they have been at the shelter for a long period of time or to free up space, the shelter will have to euthanize adoptable animals if nothing changes, according to a news release.
"We're at a breaking point, unfortunately," Mann said by phone.
In May, 415 animals entered the shelter and 330 left. For the shelter to operate humanely, the number of animals leaving the shelter needs to equal the number of animals coming in, the release said.
More than 500 people are on the shelter's waitlist for owner surrenders, which the shelter is no longer accepting due to lack of space, and the shelter continues to bring in at least a dozen animals a day from emergency calls, Mann said.
(READ MORE: Chattanooga's McKamey Animal Center drops breed labels for dogs in its care)
For McKamey, the space problem is most severe for dogs, which staff members are putting in office cubicles and pop-up kennels, as well as placing multiple dogs in spaces designed for one.
"We are at a critical point in sheltering homeless animals at MAC, and things are only going to get worse as the summer continues," Inga Fricke, the shelter's executive director, said in the release. "We need the public's help now, more than ever, if we are going to be able to continue honoring our commitment of not euthanizing simply for time or space."
Adoptions increased after the shelter reduced its adoption fees to $10 this month in an effort to ease overcrowding, but for every kennel emptied, there are five or six more dogs waiting to move into that space, Mann said.
"We're just kind of playing it day by day and taking it as we can," she said, when asked how long the shelter will be able to maintain its policy on euthanizing. "I'm looking to see who in our care is safest to adopt out, of course, and just kind of going case by case at this point."
McKamey is asking people who find stray dogs to attempt to find the owner or rehome the animal themselves rather than bringing them into the shelter, according to the release.
(READ MORE: Chattanooga may bring back Animal Control Board in response to citizen concerns)
The ideal solution to the space problem is to find permanent homes for the animals now housed at the shelter, but Mann said she realizes not everyone is in a place to adopt.
McKamey is encouraging people to foster animals, for which the shelter provides all supplies and medical care, she said.
To become a foster, people can fill out an application on McKamey's website, after which they are contacted by McKamey staff for an interview and matched with an animal.
Many of the dogs at McKamey have been there for months, Mann said. One example is Violet, a 5-year-old, mixed-breed female with one floppy ear and another that sticks straight up. Violet has been at the shelter for almost a year.
"She's never had anybody actually look at her, and she's one of our top 10 longest (residents)," Mann said. "She's sweet. She's a little bit older, but she knows every single trick you can possibly think of."
People can also take a dog out of the shelter for the day through McKamey's Trailblazers or K9 to 5 programs, which give people the opportunity to make a new furry friend while giving the dog time away from the crowded kennels. The shelter provides the human with a little bag of all the items the dog would need for the day, Mann said.
McKamey also introduced a new program called "slumber parties," which allows people to take an animal home for a few nights, whether they are considering adoption or just want to give a dog a few nights away from the shelter.
"Of course, our hope is that the dog won't come back and they fall in love and they want to keep him forever," Mann said. "It's happened quite a few times already, which is great."
Contact Emily Crisman at ecrisman@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6508.