"Unemployment Ground Zero" Explodes With Abandoned Dogs
By Julia Szabo Photo by Kristin Van Zandt and courtesy of Elhart County Humane Society
In better economic times, the recreational-vehicle industry put Elkhart, Indiana, on the map. Now, with almost no demand for RVs, the media has dubbed Elkhart "Unemployment Ground Zero." In any disaster area where people are having a hard time, pets have it just as hard, or harder. And sadly, Elkhart's animal shelter is reporting a huge spike in abandoned pets. In September, 740 animals were admitted to the shelter"”more than twice the number admitted in January.
"People can't feed themselves or their kids, and often pets are the first to go," says Stephanie Krol, who began volunteering at the Humane Society of Elkhart County after adopting her beloved mutt, Simon, there. Krol spends so much time at the shelter that she's often mistaken for an employee, and was recently elected to the Board of Directors. She recalls the sad day she saw a teenage girl arrive in tears, charged with the terrible task of surrendering her family's beautiful, healthy, young Husky: "We see heartbreaking decisions like that every day in the Humane Society lobby."
But those animals are the luckier ones; many people simply leave unwanted pets by the roadside. This was happening so frequently that Elkhart Humane came up with a solution to prevent leaving animals vulnerable to traffic and the elements: "animal night deposit" drop boxes, sturdy metal depositories to hold pets while the shelter is closed. Food, water, and blankets are provided in the boxes, which lock automatically for the pets' safety, and are opened early the next morning by shelter staff.
"One family dropped all their animals off one night"”there were two dogs and a cat huddled together in one box," Krol says.
Elkhart Humane's already-limited resources are now stretched to the max. Thankfully, the shelter is rich in hope, with a 100-strong group of dedicated volunteers. Area businesses are also reaching out to offer help: The local news station, Fox 28, showcases adoptable pets each week; Wellpet, Indiana-based makers of Wellness, Holistic Select, Old Mother Hubbard, and Eagle Pack, donated 300 cases of treats.
For consistency, the shelter prays that a pet-food sponsor will donate one type of food for the dogs, and one for the cats. "We've been feeding the animals whatever we can get our hands on," Krol explains. "And switching foods upsets their stomachs." That, of course, means more cleanup"”and the shelter is short on cleaning supplies.
So Elkhart is sending out an SOS (save our shelter). Pleasesend donations of food, bleach and other cleaning supplies,latex gloves, blankets, towels, or"”most important"”money,no matter how small the amount, to the Humane Society of Elkhart County.
For more information or to make a donation: Humane Society of Elkhart County 54687 County Road 19 Bristol, IN 46507 (574) 848-4225
