Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh reports alarming rise in number of pets left outside shelter
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh is making an urgent request: please don't abandon an animal on its doorstep.
Maybe they're left tied to something or dumped off in boxes, but people have been abandoning a lot of animals outside of Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh.
You might think you're doing the right thing by leaving the animal somewhere where it'll be cared for, but dropping an animal on the doorstep is not the right way.
"Abandonment is a crime in the state of Pennsylvania. It is a chargeable offense, we can and will identify individuals who are doing it," said humane society officer Angie Fry.
Within the last month, Humane Animal Rescue says it's seen an alarming rise in the number of animals left outside of its shelters after hours. Many of the animals are suffering from malnutrition, medical issues and emotional trauma.
"They're just being put in danger. A couple of them were actually leashed to one of our fences. That's a huge danger to our animals that could possibly hang themselves in the middle of the night when there's no one here to help them," Fry said.
When an animal is just left outside, shelter workers can't find out vital information like the animal's background, temperament and medical history.
They say if you can no longer care for your animal, you have to make an appointment to drop it off.
"We are an open-door shelter. We try to get everyone in as quickly as possible, but we do have to look at our space, our staffing levels, but we always try to make people appointments the quickest amount of time," Fry sad.
But before it gets to that point, they have many other services like free vet care, food and supplies to help owners and their pets stay together.
