ACCT Philly at capacity, fears tough decisions if animals aren't adopted
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Friday is National Dog Day and ACCT Philly says they need your help. They say they're at capacity and fear if animals aren't adopted they'll have to make tough decisions.
"Probably on the upper hand of almost six months," Henry Banyacski said. "I'm just trying to find the right one."
Banyacski is looking to adopt the right dog. He was one of the people at ACCT Philly on Friday hoping to give a dog its forever home.
"It's definitely pretty big," Banyacski said. "You're looking at a lifetime commitment for them. In most cases 5, 10, 15 years so you don't want to rush into that."
He's come at the right time.
Sarah Barnett, the shelter's director, says they're over-capacity.
"The entire summer, I feel like a broken record saying we're full, but it's just every time we think we can't be more full, we do," Barnett said.
Twenty-six of those dogs came in on one day alone.
The shelter is the city's only open intake center, which means they must accept all pets, but then has to make decisions as to which ones are adoptable.
Barnett says most are strays, but others were surrendered by their owners.
"It's really sad because a lot of these cases they've had the dog for tears and they love the dog and they just can't find a place or they can't afford it," Barnett said.
If you're in the market for a dog or a cat, ACCT Philly and other shelters in our area, they're waiving fees this coming weekend.
"We're open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m .and all adoption fees will be waived," Barnett said. "We have over 150 animals that need a home, so it's really a great opportunity if you're looking to adopt. We have a lot of variety to look through."
If you're unable to adopt, ACCT Philly says you can also foster an animal. They say fostering helps buy the animal some time while waiting for a forever home.
ACCT says surrendering your pet is not the only option. If you need resources to help keep your pet or want more information, click here.
