Animal shelters in Fulton and DeKalb counties have seen an increase in the number of animals they take in and a drop off in adoptions as the coronavirus pandemic continues, official said.
LifeLine Animal Project, a nonprofit that manages animal services for both counties, is urging residents to consider temporarily fostering pets to keep the shelters from becoming overcrowded.
Over 100 dogs at the DeKalb and Fulton shelters are ready to go into foster homes, LifeLine said in a statement. The shelters especially need foster homes for medium-to-large dogs and dogs recovering from medical treatments who just need to rest.
In mid-March, as the coronavirus pandemic worsened in Georgia, LifeLine out out a call for adoptions and fosters and offered a week of free pet adoptions. Over 1,000 pets were either fostered or adopted.
Since then, more dogs and cats have come into the shelter, which is typical for summer, LifeLine spokeswoman Karen Hirsch said. A decrease in adoptions, however, is unusual for this time of year, Hirsch said.
Due to safety precautions during the pandemic, residents must make an appointment before visiting a shelter. To learn more about fostering a pet, visit LifeLineAnimal.org/foster.
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