LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — The days around the Fourth of July are the busiest time of year for The Animal Foundation, as dogs frightened by fireworks escape their homes, become lost and end up at the shelter.
“Fireworks are fun for us, for people, for humans — for dogs, they are very scary,” said Kelsey Pizzi, communications manager for The Animal Foundation.
Many pets that run off during fireworks never make it back home. Pizzi said that last year, between July 1 and July 10, 549 animals came into the shelter — and only 18% were returned to their owners.
To prepare for another holiday rush, The Animal Foundation has been working to create space, including a special adoption event last weekend that led to 160 animals being adopted over a two-day period.
“The only problem is we’re going to see more and more animals come in every day,” Pizzi said.
While the shelter is not currently at capacity, staff say in recent years surges have pushed them to their space limits — forcing animals into pop-up cages in hallways and creating difficult choices.
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County leaders say a long-term solution is moving forward.
Clark County Commissioner Michael Naft, chair of the Clark County Commission, is spearheading a plan to build a second public shelter in the southwest Las Vegas Valley to help keep more lost pets closer to the neighborhoods where they live.
Naft said a county-owned parcel near Jones Boulevard and Post Road is the preferred site and is moving through the land-use process now. He said the project is expected to go through the entitlement process in the next few months, with construction to follow as quickly as possible.
Naft said the Board of County Commissioners allocated $40 million in February from county capital funds for the project, which is being called the Animal Resource Center.
Plans for a temporary shelter at the former Sam Boyd Stadium have been scrapped, Naft said, citing cost and concerns about whether it would produce the animal welfare outcomes the county wants.
“We still have the capacity to have an emergency pop-up shelter, but there’s not going to be a dedicated space for it,” Naft said.
Naft said the goal is saving money while saving lives, noting that long drives for animal control officers across the valley add to the burden on taxpayers.
In the meantime, The Animal Foundation is encouraging residents who find a lost dog to try walking the animal through the neighborhood first to see if someone recognizes it before taking it to the shelter.
The Animal Foundation will also open its doors Monday — a day it is normally closed — for another adoption event. The shelter’s Y2K Adoption Event is July 6 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and adoption fees will be waived for all shelter animals.
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