At a time when the country needs to embrace its animals more than ever, shelters in Habersham County, Georgia are dealing with an influx of “dangerous dog calls.”
People who are in fear of contracting COVID-19 along with the financial strain of the pandemic are surrendering dogs and puppies at a rapid pace.
Habersham County Animal Control shelter director Madi Nix went to open the gate to the facility recently and received unexpected visitors there.
Someone dropped a cage of puppies at the shelter door. Others are calling 911 to report dog bites and “dangerous dog” alerts.
Many of these calls are fake, making it hard for shelter staff to care for animals and stay safe.
Source: 11 Alive
A stray dog report came in and when Nix sent an animal control officer out, the animal wound up being an unwanted pet.
The officer had to run into the resident’s house to chase the pet, and she had no protective gear on at the time.
Although the owner was cited, the officer has no idea if she was exposed to the virus. She’s stopped taking in owner surrender animals in order to keep her staff safe.
Source: 11 Alive
Nix says over 15 aggressive dog calls came in within the week, which doubles the amount they normally receive.
Sadly, one person tried to get rid of a three-month-old cattle dog because they said the animal tried to bite. The puppy tested as non-aggressive with the shelter.
“It would be very, very, very — let me stress that — very difficult for anyone to get COVID-19 from their pet,” according to Dr. Jay Tischendorf, a wildlife biologist and veterinarian.
Source: 11 Alive
Nix encourages anyone who can help to reach out, volunteer to foster or adopt, but never to toss a dog or cat out into the streets.
More about this situation can be found in the video here.
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