Washington County humane society has full shelter; seeing more pets surrendered

Julie E. Greene, The Herald-Mail
·2 min read

The Humane Society of Washington County is waiving its adoption fee for dogs and cats, encouraging folks who can adopt or foster pets to stop by, and wants to hear from businesses with large properties interested in adopting working cats.

The humane society's animal shelter near Hagerstown has been full for nearly six weeks, Executive Director Colin Berry said Monday.

In addition to the normal annual jump in kitten population, the shelter is seeing animals, including many adult dogs, because people have been evicted and/or cannot find pet-friendly housing, Berry said. The shelter received one dog and 15 cats from just one eviction.

The housing situation has left many people with no choice but to surrender their animals to the humane society, meaning they are available for adoption, Berry said.

Kash, 1, sits with Humane Society of Washington County Canine Coordinator Halee Vogt in the shelter on Monday. Kash was surrendered to the shelter due to a housing situation, humane society officials said. Vogt said Kash is a little skittish at first, but once he's given treats he usually opens up pretty quickly. Kash is a foster-to-adopt candidate while he awaits his neuter surgery.

As of Monday, there were 204 animals in the 13011 Maugansville Road shelter, with another 335 in foster care, Berry said. The shelter, at the midyear point, had accepted 55 more dogs than it had at that point a year ago.

Because the shelter is full, Berry is asking folks who might bring in health stray cats to call first. Humane society officials can help arrange a time to bring the animal in rather than have it waiting at the shelter for surgery availability.

However, if the stray cat is injured or abused or there are stray kittens not being cared for by their mother, bring them in, Berry said.

For stray cats, see if their left ear is tipped off, where the tip of the ear has been removed. That is how to identify whether the cat has already been spayed/neutered and vaccinated, she said.

Kisses, left, watches her brother, Hugs, explore after their cage door was opened Monday afternoon at the Humane Society of Washington County. The litter mates are about 11 weeks old.
Kisses, left, watches her brother, Hugs, explore after their cage door was opened Monday afternoon at the Humane Society of Washington County. The litter mates are about 11 weeks old.

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Need a good mouser?

Humane society officials also want to learn about barns, farms, warehouses, breweries and other large properties where the operators are willing to adopt a pair of working cats.

The shelter has a number of cats that were brought in and are not social enough to be adopted as indoor cats, Berry said. These cats cannot be returned to where they were found, perhaps because there is construction going on or the site is just not safe.

They have been spayed or neutered and vaccinated for rabies.

These cats are mousers who could help keep the rodent population down. All the cats want in return is food and shelter, Berry said. The humane society would provide supplies to help businesses adopting the mousers set them up for the first few weeks.

Suga, about 6 years old, got up from a nap Monday to check out a visitor at the Humane Society of Washington County. Suga was one of many large dogs on Monday at the shelter, which has been full for about six weeks. He barked a greeting, like many of the dogs, when people entered the room.
Suga, about 6 years old, got up from a nap Monday to check out a visitor at the Humane Society of Washington County. Suga was one of many large dogs on Monday at the shelter, which has been full for about six weeks. He barked a greeting, like many of the dogs, when people entered the room.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Humane Society of Washington County waives dog and cat adoption fees