From now until the end of April, Lee County Domestic Animal Services is offering free adoptions for adult dogs to decrease the overwhelming numbers housed at the shelter.
Ria Brown, spokesperson for Domestic Animal Services, said there are approximately 120 dogs in captivity, which is the shelter’s maximum capacity. The 60 adoption kennels are full, she said, as well as the 60 kennels holding lost dogs waiting to be claimed within three days by their owner.
But with adoption numbers less than expected, the unclaimed dogs aren’t being processed and the backlog is turning into gridlock.
“We always have more we want to move up the next day that are ready and we would like to get some of the dogs who’ve been here longer to get out,” said Brown.
Every month the shelter has some type of promotion to motivate Lee County residents to adopt a dog or cat, but Brown said offering free adult dog adoptions is more significant than other past promotions.
Customers at the shelter currently draw an egg out of a basket holding discounts ranging from $20 to $75 on adoptions, but now they can take any dog older than 12 months home for free.
The basket drawing worth $20 to $75 continues to apply towards puppies, kittens and cats, said Brown.
She explained that it’s sometimes more difficult for fully grown dogs to be adopted.
“People look at puppies and they are drawn to them, but a lot of these adult dogs aren’t that old,” she said. “One or 2 years old isn’t that old, they just aren’t considered a puppy anymore.”
Of course, adult dogs have their own advantages such as being over the chewing stage and a majority of them are housebroken.
“People might be better off getting a young adult rather than a puppy,” said Brown. “We know the economy is bad, but there are always people looking to get a new pet.”
Like all adoptions from Lee County Domestic Animal Services, animals come with $500 worth of veterinary services, including spay or neutering, vaccinations, a county license, a heartworm test, flea treatment, worm treatment, the placement of a microchip ID, a 10-day health guarantee and a bag of Science Diet pet food.
“We want to eliminate any reason someone would have to acquire a pet anywhere but at a shelter,” said Donna Ward, Lee County Domestic Animal Services director.
The shelter, located at 5600 Banner Drive in Fort Myers, houses various animal breeds which can be searched online at leelostpets.com.
For more information, call 533-7387.