(Photo courtesy of Street Dog Hero)
This past weekend, Street Dog Hero (SDH) received an urgent plea for help from an animal shelter in Central California asking if the Bend-based animal rescue could take in eight, three-week-old Husky puppies or else they were going to be euthanized.
These puppies were dropped off at the California shelter’s doorstep in a cupboard without their mom. Since this rescue was already over capacity with over 380 dogs in their care, they didn’t have any more space for eight growing puppies. In fact, the overpopulation crisis at this shelter in California is currently so bad that earlier this month, The City Council voted and put out a statement informing the public that the shelter would be reducing intake because the over-capacity issue had gotten so out of control. Just this past November, the shelter noted that they had over 600 animals at their shelter and the number was growing every day.
That is why this shelter reached out to SDH to see if they had space for these eight puppies. So the Street Dog Hero team drove down to Redding, California this past Sunday to meet with the rescue partner and picked up all eight Husky puppies. They then drove them back to Bend where they are now safe and are waiting in foster homes until they are old enough to be adopted into forever homes. If you’re interested in adopting one of these dogs once they are available, please head to their website at streetdoghero.org to fill out an adoption application.
California shelters are in crisis right now. There are too many dogs in the shelter system and not enough space to house them all. That is why, unfortunately, California has one of the highest euthanasia rates in the country. This is why SDH has been working especially hard to take in as many dogs from California shelters as they can, taking in over 120 rescue dogs from California shelters in 2023 alone.
“Right now, we’re committed to trying to help solve the overpopulation problem here in the U.S. and abroad,” said Street Dog Hero Executive Director Kristen Elrod. “It starts at the source by offering low-cost spay/neuter services and helping offload as many dogs as we can from high-risk shelters across the country that are maxed out on space and have nowhere for these dogs to go.”
About Street Dog Hero:
For over six years, Street Dog Hero has been fulfilling its mission of helping end animal overpopulation by spaying and neutering owned and street dogs and cats around the world. To date, the organization has provided more than 7,174 free or reduced-rate spay/neuter and other wellness services to animals in Mexico as well as locally. They have also rescued just over 3,200 dogs from more than a dozen countries like Mexico, South Korea, China, and right here in the United States and have found them forever homes. Street Dog Hero is making lasting positive changes in the lives of animals and their humans, working towards a world where all dogs are healthy, safe, cared for, and wanted.
SDH envisions a world where all dogs are healthy, safe, cared for, and wanted. Through this work, SDH makes a lasting impact on owned and street dogs and cats and the families that surround them.
