Record Number Of Puppies Abandoned At Metro East Pet Store
Shelters Plead With People To Stop Dumping Pets
By Andy Banker
February 16, 2009
Record Number Of Puppies Abandoned At Metro East Pet Store - KTVI
video available about another problem in Missouri
An Alton animal shelter has just taken in a record litter of puppies and their mother; the dogs "dumped" at a Bethalto pet store, part of a growing trend in this bad economy. St. Louis, which celebrated America's largest pet parade in Soulard Sunday, is hardly immune to the country's growing pet problem.
Fourteen dogs, thirteen puppies and their dreadfully thin mother just joined the growing list of "dumped" pets in the St. Louis area. Shelter workers on both sides of the river are now issuing the plea: don't dump your pets, please, don't.
"Because of the economy, they're the ones who suffer most," said Tracie Quackenbush of the Open Door Animal Sanctuary in House Springs.
She's one of the organizers of the annual Mystic Krewe of Barkus parade in Soulard, billed as America's largest pet parade; one of the first of events of Mardi Gras in St. Louis. Looking at the estimated crowd of 80,000 people and 8,000 dogs, she couldn't help but thing of the 350 or so pets back at Open Door and growing number of animals that keep showing up there.
"We usually have 70 phone calls a day -- it's up to 100 calls-a-day now. We have more dumped at our gates," Quackenbush said.
When we went to the FIVE A's shelter in Alton to see all those the puppies, we ran into Bill Klamert who had just found the latest "dumped" dog - a micro chip showing she belongs to someone in Waco, Texas.
"My wife said somebody has just pulled up and kicked her out of the car," Klamert said.
Shelter workers were squeezing her in along with all those puppies and their dreadfully thin mother.
"It makes you sick almost," said Andy Torrez of Five A's, petting the mother; its shoulder, rib, and hip bones visible through its coat.
That mother weighed half of what she should, down to about 30 pounds at one point, with 13 mouths to feed.
"We've probably doubled and tripled the calls we get," Torrez said. "Most of it is: people are losing their houses, they can't take them where they're going. People just don't have the money to feed them…if it really comes down to being desperate. We do have ways that we can help; call before you dump them. That's the main thing."
The puppies and their mother were dumped at the J & J Fin and Feather Pet Shop in Bethalto. Judy Gray's husband found them in a jam-packed, flimsy box.
"Right on the other side of this door, just shoved up against the door," Gray said. "So when we got out of the car, started up to the door, the dog jumps out, puts her feet on his chest and barks at him…you know if you have one dog to find a home for, that's not too bad, but when you have 14, that's a real problem. You just can't slip 14 into any place."
She said a note written on the box read, 'found in field, can't feed'.
Even if shelters have no room, workers can help you find low cost, sometimes even no-cost pet food, spay and neutering services. The need for donations to make those things possible is also greater than ever.
Those puppies and their mother should be ready for adoption March 3rd. Workers are trying to find the owners of that dog from Texas.