Efforts to protect Animal Shelter dogs from expected extreme cold successful

With construction still underway on the new Cumberland County Animal Shelter building and bitterly cold air moving in, a group of community animal supporters worked together to try and protect some 35 animals avoid being hurt by the single digit temperatures.

Those 35 animals were housed in outside pens.  They have some plastic and tarp walls on frames that have been built by volunteers but they are living on concrete pads and cannot get inside to any heated space.

Outdoor runs at the Cumberland Co. Animal Shelter are partly

protected from the wind but still exposed to the coming single

digit temperatures with no heat sources.  

With the cold moving in a group of animal supporters sent out word requesting help because the shelter would be closed both Sunday and Monday for the holiday and Saturday was the only day the animals could be fostered out for a short-term until the weather warmed up.

We talked to a shelter volunteer who gave us this information:

"As of this Saturday morning, there were at least 35 dogs living outdoors at the shelter and some animal welfare groups wanted to help. One of the groups put out pleas on Facebook for volunteer “foster homes” for dogs. It turns out that to become authorized as an animal foster parent there is a process that can’t be done quickly and not on a weekend. The Shelter Director, who was not working Saturday, agreed to authorize an experienced shelter volunteer and animal advocate to interview each “emergency foster parent” on Saturday if that volunteer would accept responsibility for ensuring the safe return of the animals when the cold weather abated. All of this resulted in 18 “Emergency Foster Parents” providing safe, warm housing for over 35 dogs and making room that allowed all of the remaining shelter dogs to be brought inside the building for several days."