Letter: Overcrowded animal shelters are a growing problem

Unfortunately, lots of animals end up in homeless shelters. Two major reasons for this is that owners have to give them away or they are found and picked up by animal control. I have recently volunteered at a homeless animal shelter and have noticed that these shelters tend to fill up very fast. This causes a lot of animals to be given back to animal control and in some cases be euthanized.

Overcrowded shelters are a growing problem in the Tri-Cities. The animals in these shelters are in need of a home and someone to love them! There are lots of programs like POP (Pet Overpopulation) and ASAP (Adoption Shelter Animal Pets) that help take care of these animals, spaying and neutering, and finding loving homes for these amazing pets.

This problem will continue to grow if we don’t do something about it. Take part in your local adoption events and/or adopt an animal from a shelter, rather than buying from a breeder. You might be able to change the life of not only the animals, but the people and your own community!

This story was originally published June 8, 2017 at 2:19 PM with the headline "Letter: Overcrowded animal shelters are a growing problem."