CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Local animal shelters are reporting an increase of animals at their facilities. Peewee's Pet Adoption director and founder, Ernie Cochran told KRIS 6 News, Nueces County is the second worst county for animal neglect in the United States.
"It's been like this since I started in 1995 and it is not improving because people will not spay and neuter their animals," Cochran said.
During the summer months, it's common for animal shelters to see a surge of animals. A problem that is only getting worse, according to Gulf Coast Humane Society Intake & Outreach coordinator Sarah Spence.
"Unfortunately this is a year-round thing, it happens in south Texas, this is not a Corpus Christi-based issue, this is a south Texas-based issue,” Spence said.
Some of this shelters are operating at or over capacity, putting a strain on their resources. This is also affecting workers who are also overwhelmed with the challenge of caring for a greater number of animals.
"Mentally, it is exhausting, I get 30 to 40 emails a day just from our intake form on our actual website," said Spence. "That’s not including people that have my personal email and that’s not included all the phone calls that I get.”
Some believe a city ordinance could help reduce the number of cats and dogs taken to shelters.
"The city should come up with an ordinance requiring that if you have a pet it has to be spayed or neutered,” Cochran said. "And if you don't spay or neuter it you're going to get a $500 fine."
Local resident Kerri Polascek thinks it's important to spay or neuter pets. She believes it's the responsible thing to do.
"I think it’s very important that we make sure our pets are healthy and safe because if we love them we want them to live their life to the fullest," Polascek said.
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