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A dozen dogs among 50 surrendered in S.C. are getting ready for adoption in Mass.
Five of the dogs have already been adopted.
Twelve hound and beagle mix dogs rescued from an animal cruelty investigation in South Carolina have arrived at the MSPCA Northeast Animal Shelter in Salem. Five have already found new homes at the latest adoption event.
“It’s great news!” said Sara-Rose Brenner, a spokesperson for MSPCA-Angell.
Brenner added that the other seven hounds are still getting extra medical attention and will be put up for adoption shortly.
MSPCA-Angell Vice President of Animal Protection Mike Keiley said in a statement that last month, more than 50 dogs were surrendered by an owner who lived with them on a single property and did not give them the care they needed.
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Keiley said the surrender was a large influx of dogs entering shelters in the Midlands region of South Carolina that are already at or over capacity.
“It’s far too many dogs for them to care for, so when our transport partners in the area reached out for help, we knew we needed to step up and make it happen despite our own capacity challenges,” he added.
The dogs range in age from one to 10 years old and arrived in Salem last Monday, according to a press release from the organization.
The dogs arrived just in time for the Missed Connections adoption event from Feb. 17 to 23.
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The remaining arrivals will be available for adoption following the state-mandated 48-hour quarantine and after receiving any medical care they may need.
Keiley said that despite the circumstances, the dogs were in “relatively good health.” The dogs needed to be spayed or neutered, and some required dental work.
“Now it’s more vital than ever that people step forward and adopt any of the dogs in our care or the care,” said Keiley. “We won’t be in a position to help more dogs until we find loving homes for those already in our care.”
The dogs arrived in the Bay State when shelters were already full.
Jamie Garbedian, project manager in the MSPCA-Angell’s Animal Protection Division, previously told Boston.com that the shelters are full because of a decrease in adoptions, combined with an increase in local surrenders and a high demand for transports from other states.
The Disaster Relief program for MSPCA-Angell continues to take in animals from Lousina snow and California fires, on top of the regular transports from animals from South Carolina. Garbedian said the transports are a “lifeline” for their partner shelters there.
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The MSPCA-Angell’s local intake of dogs and cats increased by 22% last year, resulting in almost 900 additional animals needing homes.
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