Dogs with hot weather injuries crowding Bay Area animal shelters
As heat grips the Bay Area one population is going to quickly suffer: pets.
At 85 degrees outside, asphalt temperature spikes to 130 degrees. Paws burn at 125 degrees after just one minute.
Four-year-old terrier mix Leroy knows the feeling. He was surrendered in Stockton with severe burns from hot asphalt on all four paws and the backs of his legs - indicating he had been lying and standing on hot pavement.
But that's just the start of his new journey.
Leroy was pulled from a euthanasia list - he's one of the lucky ones. Shelters are overflowing with animals, often strays, and those with health complications like Leroy's that amount to costly bills are the first to be placed on a euthanasia list. They're often the hardest to adopt.
But nothing can break his spirit. Not even the bandages covering his burns.
Since he was surrendered, he's been under the care of veterinary practice manager Lisa Goodin. She says she sees burn injuries like Leroy's at least twice a week during hot months.
"Just shelters are in crisis right now shelters and rescue groups are in crisis," Goodin told CBS News Bay Area. "There's just not enough fosters, not enough adopters, not enough kennel space. So a lot of dogs are running the streets."
Leroy's happy face and wagging tail masked his journey of survival in the hot outdoors.
"With the heat that we have right now when it's 90 degrees outside. The sidewalks I think are like 120 and the streets are like 130, 140 degrees. But their feet start burning at 125. So even if it's not hot outside to us if they're, running loose stray puppies, on the concrete or on the streets. It takes one minute for them to burn their feet."
Goodin says the shelter crisis could be due to the harsh economy.
"I think people just don't have the money to offer the medical care to their pets," Goodin said. "They don't have the money to feed their pets and people are struggling to buy groceries for themselves."
It's not just California. Nationwide shelters are desperate to find fosters for animals on euthanasia lists.
Michelle Pas is a foster coordinator for Rescue The Underdog, which places at-risk animals in the greater Bay Area. She says her volunteer team is working overtime to place as many animals as possible.
"At the end of the day the shelters don't have resources to take care of these dogs," Pas said. "And when there's not enough dogs leaving the shelters and more and more dogs entering the shelter each day that's what results in the euthanasia list."
She explained that the organization has been getting about five calls per week from people needing to surrender their animals for various reasons, often having to do with strained resources. But on average only one or two dogs are being adopted.
"If I can help one, you know that somebody else can help the next one," Goodin said, hoping for more people to volunteer to help.
With four dogs of her own, Goodin can't take in Leroy herself. But once his burns heal she's hopeful he'll find a good home.
"Somebody loved him at some point," she said. "Somebody will love him again."
Leroy and many other dogs are available for adoption at rescuetheunderdog.com.
