CHARLESTON, W.Va. –Angie Gillenwater with the Kanawha-Charleston Humane Association says that they are using the recent discovery of 14 puppies and their mom in the extreme heat to educate residents about the importance of keeping their animals safe during these times.
Gillenwater said that a volunteer’s husband was driving down a dirt road Monday when the momma dog was seen running after his truck. She said that once he stopped, he could hear the puppies whimpering in the distance. Temperatures Monday reached over 90 degrees with humidity bringing it closer to 100.
She said that once the discovery was made, everyone jumped in as quickly as possible to help prepare the shelter for their arrival.
“He messaged his wife that work’s here at the shelter, and she got in contact with our admissions team and immediately our shelter team went into panic mode trying to move everybody around, trying to make space for these puppies that desperately needed to come in because he said the puppies were hot to the touch,” Gillenwater said.
She said once the puppies were brought in, they were taken to the medical team. Two puppies have died because of organ failure due to the extensive heat exposure they endured. Gillenwater said that they are 95% sure that one of the puppy’s skin is coming off because of the extreme sunburn.
She said that the silver lining in this heartbreaking situation is it’s giving them the opportunity to talk about the importance of heat stroke and how to prevent from happening to their pets.
“Heat stroke is very real, it does happen, we see a lot of it here at the shelter specifically, so taking any precautions that you can is going to greatly benefit you animals overall well-being but it’s also going to benefit you because it is a very scary and very traumatic thing to have to see happen to your pet,” she said.
Gillenwater emphasized ways that pet owners can prevent this from happening. She said that owners need to limit pets’ exposure to the outside (making sure that you walk them either in the morning or in the evening hours) to avoid the midday hours because they tend to be the hottest. She said to keep pets inside if applicable however if you can’t make sure that they shade, clean water and maybe a fan pointed at them.
Gillenwater said that while they are operating over capacity, she said they are always there to talk to if someone needs help locating a place to take the animals to, to avoid another situation like this from happening.
“We want you to come and talk to us first and foremost, while we may not be able to take that specific animal that day, because as I said we have been full it’s nothing new we have operated at full capacity for quite some time now but while we can’t take it directly we will give you resources and supplies that you need to set these animals up for success and keep them safe until we can take them,”
She also said that people can contact other local rescues to see if they can take them until they are ready to take them.
Gillenwater also encouraged those that can help with the overcapacity issue to do so. This may look like adopting or fostering, bringing supply’s or educating family and friends on how to prevent heat stroke.
Most needed items are Purina puppy and cat chow, wet dog food of any kind, dog and cat treats, litter, and any cleaning supplies.