Pittsburgh's Shelters Full, and Hoping for Change

When Triangle Pet Services was closed down earlier this month (read stories here and here), they reported the animals in their "care" would be sent to a rescue group elsewhere in Pennsylvania. However, 20 were not moved, and one dog actually died while kept in its cage.

Pittsburgh's three major shelters cooperated in a rescue of those animals and an investigation of Triangle Pet, which had provided services to 58 communities in the Pittsburgh area as well as providing wildlife services to the City of Pittsburgh. This included picking up dogs, cats and other pets plus trapping wildlife and picking up animals hit on roadways. You can read the news stories to hear a little of what horrors they are charged with, and those of us in animal rescue for any length of time heard and even saw much worse than what is reported. Animal abusers can be hard to catch in the act, and Triangle was initially caught for naughty bookkeeping practices of all things, but that led to an investigation by authorities, and an undercover investigation that proved what they were doing with pets pulled from the streets.

The shelters had often visited Triangle Pet and taken animals to their own shelters for services; knowing what Triangle did with the animals, this was truly a rescue. Now the shelters, already full, have taken in the dogs left behind, three of whom were in emergency care for a while after rescue their condition was so serious. Happily, two of the 20 could be returned to their owners. But these extra pets, and shelters have already noted an increase in the number of pets surrendered to them, the lack of Triangle Pet will put even more animals in the shelters.

All three shelters are running a “$30 @ 3” promotion, lowering adoption fees to $30 for all dogs older than 2, to help alleviate the overcrowding, and they also have other adoption specials for dogs and for cats and kittens. Even if you can't adopt you may have room for a foster for a month or two. If that isn't possible, donating money or goods or services will help the shelters to deal with this unending overcrowding.

Whatever you do, you can know that the shelters, and rescue groups as well, are doing all they can to help find homes for these pets and all the others they take into their care, and that an investigation is ongoing.

Read more about this cooperative effort on Animal Friends' blog, Shelters Unite to Rescue Pets from Triangle Pet Control and in the Tribune-Review, Swamped, Allegheny County Shelters Trigger Adoption Deals.

For more information, visit the shelters' websites:

www.ThinkingOutsideTheCage.org

www.Animalrescue.org, adoption fees for dogs over 2 years & kittens are only $30 and adult cats are FREE!

www.wpahumane.org, Cats $10 Senior, $15 Adult, $30 6 mo. to 11 mo.; Dogs (in addition to above) 1/2 off adoption for dogs 1 year and older.

Graphic above provided by the shelters.

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