A Philadelphia animal shelter needs help saving lives.
ACCT Philly has more than 130 dogs in their shelter and over 150 cats — far more than the shelter can handle — and it has led to them having to euthanize animals for no reason other than lack of space.
The shelter in Philadelphia is seeing dozens of animals being surrendered due to housing-related issues, such as eviction, moving and landlord issues, according to the ACCT Philly Executive Director Sarah Barnett. Just last month, 90 such animal surrenders occurred.
“The last three days we have literally had to walk up and down the kennels to pull dogs to be euthanized for no reason but lack of space,” Barnett said. “We usually try to timestamp animals, to give rescues and the public the chance to help those who are most urgent, but with space not every dog is getting that chance to live. It's heartbreaking.”
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In September alone, 1,700 animals were brought into the shelter, Barnett said.
The week of Oct. 9 is the last week of the Bissell Empty the Shelters promotion that ACCT Philly is participating in. During this week all animals are available to adopt for $10.
All dogs and cats are vaccinated, microchipped, spayed and neutered before going home if adopted through Oct. 15.
Those interested in adopting can do so online or by visiting ACCT Philly at 111 W. Hunting Park Ave.
Ways to help
If adoption is not an option ACCT Philly asks that the public consider volunteering, donating or fostering.
If you are missing a cat or dog, visit the shelter and file a report online. The shelter has been reuniting people with their animals.
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If you find a stray, file a report online and knock on doors in the area to try to reunite the pet instead of taking it to a shelter.
ACCT Philly also helps pet owners who need assistance taking care of their animals.
"We really need the community to not just adopt but also make sure their pets have identification on them," Barnett said.
Correction (Oct. 10, 2023, 8:11 a.m.): This story has been updated to properly reflect the total number of animals brought into the animal shelter in September. In total, more than 1,700 animals were taken into the shelter with about 90 surrendered over housing issues.
