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There are 20 of them, and they're hungry
By JOY DAVIS-PLATT © St. Petersburg Times, published March 27, 2001 BROOKSVILLE -- One litter of puppies was dropped off at the shelter's front door. Another was dumped on a property in a rural area near Brooksville. Still more puppies were found in a box at California Street and Wiscon Road. Lately, it seems, the Humane Society of Hernando County's canine area is bursting at the seams -- and of the 35 animals living at the shelter, 20 are puppies. As a result, puppy food is running low. "It's sad. It's really sad," said Joann Gross, the shelter's canine manager. "These poor little things have nowhere else to go." When Xio Romanov went shopping for a rocking chair, she found more than furniture -- a litter of 10 puppies had recently been left at the store. "I took three to places with people I knew, but that was all I was able to do," said Romanov, who has adopted four animals from the shelter. "They do an incredible job over there," said Romanov, who lives in Brooksville. "But they're really in desperate need of some help." Romanov took the remaining puppies to the shelter, where she knew they would be cared for. "Unfortunately, my heart is bigger than my pocketbook," Romanov said. "If I could take more, I would." Because the shelter receives no money other than charity donations and because the group does not euthanize animals, it is essential that people keep adopting pets, Gross said. All puppies are kept in isolation for 14 days, Gross said, so workers can spot any ailments or infections early. Puppies can be adopted during the isolation period but must remain at the shelter until they are released. "We have enough space right now," she said. "But we are starting to run out of food." All puppies in the shelter are fed dry Pedigree brand puppy food. If caretakers switch the brand of food the puppies eat, Gross said, the change will interfere with their health. "It's hard enough to adopt a healthy puppy," she said. "The whole point of adoption is to have spayed, neutered, well dogs." Inquiries about adopting dogs and cats can be made at the Humane Society of Hernando County shelter at Wiscon and Mobley roads, southwest of Brooksville. The shelter is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon to 3 p.m. Sunday. There is a $65 adoption fee to cover the cost of some shots, spaying/neutering and deworming. For information, call 796-2711 or visit www.springhillonline.com/Humane/Index.htm.
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From today's Hernando Times |
