OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — The Nebraska Humane Society is asking for help.
"Right now, we are full (for dogs)," said Pam Wiese, an NHS spokesperson. "Our temporary kennels are full. Our overflow kennels are full."
They have 274 dog kennels, Wiese said. Around noon on Friday, they had 270 dogs there. About 150 are available for adoption, she said. That's the most she's seen in her 20 years working at NHS.
Wiese said all shelters are in the same boat and cannot help other shelters by accepting transfers.
NHS is responsible for taking in strays, Wiese said. Typically, 5-15 come in in a day. They need open kennels for them, she said.
As always, NHS encourages adoption. But now they're also pushing people to consider fostering a dog.
Anyone interested can fill out the online form. NHS will help match you with an appropriate dog for your situation and space. For instance, some dogs can find a temporary home in an apartment.
The shelter will pay for supplies like food and other things if necessary, like medications.
For the last three months, Marissa Meyers has fostered Blue Diamond, or Blue for short, a boxer mix. No one has applied to adopt her yet, but fostering allowed NHS to learn what she's like outside of the shelter.
"Blue was really stressed in the shelter," Meyers said. "She was depressed and sleeping all the time. And here she's playful and happy and she's ready to go to her new home and show her personality."
Meyers spoke highly of the option of fostering for pet lovers.
"It brings so much joy to your home," she said. "It's so much fun finding out the personalities and quirks of each dog. Blue just loves to throw toys around ... and entertain herself. It's so cute. It's so much fun and exciting to come home from work and get to learn about this new dog and the new personality and watch them learn and grow, too, as you work with training on them."
NHS said only 20% of stray dogs were reclaimed in 2020, and people can help the situation by making sure they check the shelter for their dogs. For anyone unsure if a dog will be a fit for adoption, NHS offers a "test drive."
Driving the shelter's situation is an increase in people giving up their pets and a decrease in adoptions, Wiese said. She believes the economy and inflation might be a reason why the shelter is at capacity.
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