ESCANABA, Mich. (WZMQ) – The Delta Animal Shelter is urging those looking to rehome their pets to surrender them the right way.
“This is Hermione,” said Shelter Operations Coordinator Vonnie Bruce, cuddling the cat pictured above. “She is a really sweet little girl, probably under like a year old. One thing that’s really special about her is she likes to give kisses.”
Hermione was one of six cats abandoned near the end of the shelter driveway in a fabric pen.
“One of our volunteers was stopping by to sign up on our volunteer calendar,” Bruce said. “She noticed them outside and we were able to go and get them. Luckily, they were zipped shut so nobody got away, but obviously, not the best way to go about rehoming your animals.”
Hermione and the others are doing well now, with the two males already in their forever homes and Hermoine and the three other females just waiting to be spayed. However, illegally abandoning animals does not always have a happy ending and can be dangerous.
“Earlier this winter, we did have two cats that were dropped off in an enclosure outside our front door,” Bruce said. “They were able to get out and we had to set live traps. We didn’t know if we were going to catch them. A couple years ago, somebody abandoned a mom dog and some pups in our parking lot. We had to come back at 8:00 that night because we didn’t know how many puppies there were, and we did find one of them out in the woods by the shelter.”
It can also prolong the amount of time the animals spend waiting for a new home.
“If the animal does not have on a collar or identification, it’s a four-day stray hold,” Bruce explained. “If they do have a microchip or they have a collar on, it’s a ten-day stray hold, and we can’t start doing anything with them to move them through that adoption process.”
Abandoning animals also makes it harder for the shelter to find their perfect match.
“We like to know as much as we can about every animal,” said Bruce. “If you abandon them and we don’t know their history, it makes it harder for us to find them a good fit moving forward.”
Bruce says shelter staff know there are various reasons why someone might need to rehome a pet. They want surrenderers to feel safe bringing their pets to the shelter.
“There’s no surrender fee, so there’s no charge to bring an animal in,” she said. “There’s also that myth that if you bring an animal to the shelter you’re going to be blacklisted and you’ll never be able to get a pet from the shelter. That’s not what it is. If you have to surrender your animal and a couple years down the road you’re in a different place in life and you’re ready to start new with a new pet, of course you can come in and adopt. If you’ve surrendered ten animals in a year, maybe that would be a little different.”
The Delta Animal Shelter asks those looking to surrender their pet to call to set up an appointment.
“Sometimes something will happen with your pet and you’re really upset about it in that moment,” Bruce said. “If you do have to wait a few days for that appointment, it gives you time to think it through and make sure that is the decision you want to make.”
If a caller does decide that surrendering their pet is the best decision, Bruce says the shelter is dedicated to finding that pet a new home through a safe surrendering process.
“We try to be judgment-free,” she said. “We understand that stuff happens, but at least call us and let us know information on them, because we just want what’s best for them. We want to help you, and in turn, you’re helping us.”
To inquire about surrendering a pet to the Delta Animal Shelter, call (906) 789-0230. The shelter also offers food assistance and behavioral resources for pet owners. For more information, call or visit deltaanimal.org or the Delta Animal Shelter Facebook page.
