EASTON, PA - While Pennsylvania residents continue to shelter in place amid the ongoing Coronavirus health crisis, those who care for the region’s tiniest residents are being forced to adapt to this new normal.
"So we aren’t seeing as many volunteers because we have to make sure that we are safe, keeping our staff safe. We are not taking in adoptions and things like that. So it really does impact our day to day, although the care remains the same," explains Executive Director of the Center for Animal Health and Welfare, Kelly Bauer, "We are still here to make sure that the animals are getting fed and walked and the enrichment that they need to be healthy."
Animal shelters across the country, like The Center for Animal Health and Welfare in Easton, are prepping for a surge in animal rescues and pet surrenders, with owners struggling to afford pet food and other essentials. But they’re also seeing a rise in volunteers hoping to help the area’s four legged residents.
"It’s been interesting. We have not, luckily, so far, gotten a lot of requests to relinquish animals. We have gotten some, and we’ve handled those. But most of the calls that we get are people wanting to help. They want to foster," Bauer tells PBS39 News Tonight Reporter, K.C. Lopez, "Most of our interaction has been really positive and our community reaching out, wanting to know how they can help."
The doors to the Northampton County center will remain closed to the public until at least April 30th, but vacancies for much needed animal fosters remain wide open.
"We definitely have more fosters right now than we have had in a long time and I think that’s a great thing. People are home, they want to feel purpose, they want to feel helpful, and it really does help our animals. Even if this isn’t a long term solution, it’s just them getting a vacation or a break from the shelter, it’s a wonderful thing. It increases their sociability, their ability to interact with other animals, people. And we have seen quite an increase in that," says Bauer, "the way we’ve handled it is very safe. There is no interaction; we essentially call them curbside pickups where everything is done electronically, prior to the volunteer’s arrival. We load the animal up for them, they don’t even need to get out of their car. And so we’ve made it as safe as we possibly can."
Animal shelters and kennels are considered essential businesses here in Pennsylvania, allowing them to remain open. But the shelter is now working on an essential staff only schedule, caring for more than 30 dogs and 94 cats. A memo from the state Department of Agriculture has instructed staff to wear protective masks and gloves when receiving an animal from a home where someone’s been diagnosed with Coronavirus. The Center’s Executive Director, Kelly Bauer, says, there are a multitude of ways the public can help homeless pets from a safe distance.
"As a non-profit, we don’t receive any kind of government funding. So of course monetary donations are always our biggest need. We have to keep the lights on, we have to pay our staff, we have to keep the operation running. But we are always in need of linens and things for the animals; food obviously, litter. But right now what we’re really asking for are interactive toys, agility equipment, puzzles, things that keep the animals occupied because they’re not seeing as many visitors as they normally would."
A bin has been placed in front of the Center for Animal Health and Welfare to help keep donations safe from the elements and maintain social distance. Meanwhile, all volunteer orientations and dog handling classes at the center here are being postponed until further notice.