‘They can end up dying’: Southern Utah residents urged not to abandon animals outside of shelters

ST. GEORGE — While it doesn’t seem to happen that often, one city animal shelter reported a recent uptick in people abandoning animals outside the shelter over the weekend. Though those who leave animals at the foot of the shelter gate may mean well, leaving them unattended while the shelter is closed can prove harmful, if not deadly.

This is a stock photo of a cat in a pet carrier, not the cat mentioned in the story. | Stock photo, St. George News

“This is somewhat becoming a frequent thing occurring every weekend while we’re closed,” an Aug. 6 Facebook post stated, detailing how someone had left a cat in a carrier outside of the shelter on a day temperatures reached over 100 degrees.

The cat was left outside for hours until one of the city’s animal control officers stopped by later that evening and brought the cat inside, the post stated.

Like many shelters in the area, the Washington City Animal shelter is closed on the weekends.

“We understand if you have feral cats, stray dogs, kittens in your backyard or just need to re-home your animal, but please absolutely do not leave your animal out like this,” the post reads, adding the cat was “hydrated and well” afterward.

St. George News followed up with Washington City Animal Control Officer Herrold Egger on the issue and he said that while people leaving animals outside the shelter hasn’t been an overly common occurrence in the past, it does happen and needs to stop.

Cookie the Dog, St. George, Utah, June 7, 2022 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

“It happens probably half-a-dozen times a year,” he said. “People leave a pet carrier on a hot day with no water. They can end up dying.”

Leaving an animal outside in the heat invites the risks of heat exposure and heat stroke, Egger said.

According to the Humane Society of the United States, “Animals are at particular risk for heat stroke if they are very old, very young, overweight, not conditioned to prolonged exercise, or have heart or respiratory disease. Some breeds of dogs – like boxers, pugs, shih tzus and other dogs and cats with short muzzles – will have a much harder time breathing in extreme heat.”

While being left in the heat – or the cold in the winter months – can prove fatal for an animal abandoned outside the shelter, they also may be subject to attack from other animals in the area.

A story out of Texas last year included how a box of kittens left outside a shelter was found by stray dogs before shelter staff got to them. The kittens did not survive the encounter.

“The phone number of the shelter is on the front gate,” Egger said. “Call the shelter or dispatch if no one’s there.”

A dog at the animal shelter in St. George, Utah, July 17, 2019 | Photo by Mikayla Shoup, St. George News

If someone finds a stray animal or needs to surrender a pet during a time when the shelter is not open, Egger suggested making arrangements with family members, neighbors or friends to take the animal to the shelter during regular business hours.

Also, if an animal control officer is unavailable at the shelter, people are encouraged to call the non-emergency number for Washington City Police and make arrangements to deal with a stray animal if needed.

While there are fees associated with surrendering a pet, there are no fees for turning in a stray at the Washington City Animal Shelter, Egger said

Readers outside of Washington City will want to consult their local animal shelters on what the fees for the surrender or adoption of a pet may be.

The Washington City Animal Shelter is located at 95 E. Industrial Dr. in Washington City and can be reached at 435-673-7194. The shelter is also open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is closed on the weekends. The city’s general Animal Welfare Services/police non-emergency can be reached at 435-986-1515.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.

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