The Friends of the Holbrook Animal Shelter are searching for assistance as the City of Holbrook’s Animal Shelter is out of room and in desperate need of heroes to provide safe environments to temporarily house shelter pets, and to act as compassionate/caring fosters for both dogs and cats. According to Friends of the Holbrook Animal Shelter, the greatest need right now is for dogs: dogs of all ages, breed types, sizes, energy levels and needs. The shelter prioritizes the newborn and young pups, and the older/senior dogs for fostering as they are typically more vulnerable to sickness and stress from the shelter and have greater care needs. But sometimes there is a huge population from hoarding situations or litters of kittens where the mama’s gone so there is a need for bottle feeding help. And for both dogs and cats, fosters are needed when there are new nursing mothers who need space outside the shelter to take care of their newborns until they are appropriate for adoption. Other cases include animals needing medical recovery like a recent resident, a sweet kitten whose tail was burned. It needed an out-of-shelter space to comfortably heal from its surgery and treatment. The shelter and Friends group, make sure to supply those helping out with the basic materials needed to foster these shelter pets such as bowls, food, meds, crates and bedding. To prepare for a foster pet: * Make sure everyone at home is agreed and ready for the commitment: check with your family, your roommate(s), your landlord. * Pet-proof your home by securing or removing toxic house plants, wires and shoes, and lock/lid open trash cans. * Pet-proof your yard by making sure there are safe and secure ways to quarantine foster animals from other pets, and that fencing is secure. * Check with your vet to make sure pets already at home are fixed and current on their shots. For those interested in fostering, call the city’s animal control officer at 928-524-6828 or visit our shelter at 105 Airport Road in Holbrook between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday – Friday, or email friendsoftheholbrookshelter@gmail.com. Another option is to message on Facebook at Holbrook AZ Animal Control. Friends of the Holbrook Animal Shelter encourages pet owner to please spay and neuter pets! There is also a higher-than-normal occurrence of strays and loose pets in the community, so please obtain a city license for each pet so that the animal control officer has a way of knowing where to return your beloved animals. Microchipping is always an option as well, but city licenses are required for any animal within city limits.
