UPDATE: Clark County Animal Shelter participates in adoption event

Saturday, Clark County Animal Shelter brought seven of its animals to the Woodstock Spay and Neuter Clinic's Halloween adoption event

UPDATED STORY POSTED ON OCTOBER 30, 2021 AT 7: 09 P.M.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – Lots of tricks and lots of treats: dog tricks and treats, that is.

Saturday, the Woodstock Spay and Neuter Clinic hosted a Halloween “Pawty” adoption event, with some of its animals up for adoption from the Clark County Animal Shelter.

The shelter says it’s experiencing an overwhelming influx of animals. The event today intended to encouraged adopting from the shelter.

“It’s just great for us to be able to get in front of a different group of people. Some people who maybe wouldn’t drive all the way to Winchester or out to the shelter but being right here in Lexington it opens up a lot of options that we may not normally see,” said Clark County Animal Shelter Director Adreanna Wills.

Along with animals up for adoption and fostering from the Woodstock Spay and Neuter Clinic, about seven of the animals up for adoption were from the Clark County Animal Shelter.

The event lasted until 1 P.M. Saturday.

ORIGINAL STORY POSTED OCTOBER 29, 2021 AT 8: 15 P.M.

WINCHESTER, Ky. (WTVQ) – “We need to move animals out in order to save lives” said Adreanna Wills, Director of the Clark County Animal Shelter.

But accomplishing that is getting harder every week for the Clark County Animal Shelter.
Wills says the shelter is at full capacity.

“The problem is we have the same number or an even more number of animals coming in but we have fewer to none going out.”

Wills says because things have opened back up from the pandemic, many people are unable to continue caring for pets they adopted when the pandemic started. Whether they have been evicted, financially can’t afford their pets anymore, or don’t have the time they once had to care for them.

“Our owner surrenders have been really high. I looked last month our owner surrenders were double what they were before” said Wills.

She says the last two weeks have been overwhelming, that adoptions are nearly at a standstill.
She says rescue organizations they work with aren’t able to take in some of the shelter’s animals as foster homes keep backing out.
That in turn puts an even bigger strain on the small shelter as it struggles to figure out what to do.

“That’s where we’re all kind of dumbfounded at what do we do? Because we’re doing all that we know to do and these dogs could really sell themselves but they’re not. These are dogs that normally would go within just a few days and they are sitting here for weeks” said Wills.

And for the first time in years the Clark County Animal Shelter is being forced to consider euthanizing some of their healthy animals in order to make room.

“We really reserve euthanasia for extreme cases and we’re at the point now for the first time in really years we’re having to consider what are we going to do if something doesn’t give soon” added Wills.

It’s something they don’t want to turn to, as they continue to work to find the animals homes, the shelter is asking the public for help…whether it’s by donation or adoption.
Adoptable dogs will be available Saturday at the Woodstock Spay and Neuter Clinic in Lexington from 10am to 1pm for a Halloween adoption event.