TUNICA COUNTY, Miss — "Every shelter in our area is just over capacity right now."
Sandy Williams, director of the Tunica Humane Society, works with several shelters and rescue groups across the North Mississippi area. She said the kennels are full at every local shelter.
"All of the rescue groups are out of resources, and we are receiving a record number of calls," Williams said.
Williams has recently seen an uptick in abandoned or surrendered dogs. She said the number one surrenders at the shelter are puppies. In recent weeks, the shelter has also taken in a large number of kittens.
"Unfortunately, these little rural areas in North Mississippi do not have animal control. There are no provisions for stray dogs or stray cats, so we have taken on quite a large area," said Williams.
She said everyone who works in rescue is suffering from compassion-fatigue.
"We're at the end of our ropes. It breaks our hearts to know that there are animals out there that we're not going to be able to help because our resources are used up. We need some help from the community," explained Williams.
Tunica Humane Society is the only no-kill shelter in the county and is run strictly by donations. Williams said there are actions you can take to help the humane society and other local rescues and shelters.
- Adopt for all the right reasons.
- Don't adopt a puppy without committing for life.
- Foster a dog or cat while they wait for a forever home.
- Spay and neuter your pets. There are organizations that offer free or low-cost spay and neuter services.
- Always report animal cruelty. "See something - say something."
No matter how full the shelter is, Williams said their boots are on the ground seven days a week. The need to help abandoned dogs and cats never goes away.
"There are always animals in need," added Williams. "The thing that keeps us going is that look in their face - that look of hope when we rescue them. That will keep me going till the day I die. I wish more people could feel what we feel because saving a helpless animal is extremely gratifying."
For additional information on Tunica Humane Society, click here.