PAW Animal Shelter is putting out a community-wide call for help as it works to find temporary homes for roughly 40 dogs in need of short-term fostering.
The shelter, which moved into its new $7 million facility last fall, is facing an unexpected maintenance issue. Paint used in the kennel run areas hasn’t held up well under routine cleaning. Despite gentle methods—just a garden hose and scrub brush—the paint has begun to peel. Now, nearly every kennel in the three large runs needs to be repainted.
To get the work done, dogs will need to be out of the affected areas for at least a week, possibly up to 10 days. But with 250 dogs currently housed at the facility, space is limited. The shelter can shift about 20 dogs to its old building, but those enclosures also need sealing work before they’re ready. That’s left PAW looking for foster homes for at least 33 of their larger dogs to free up a full run for repairs.
The dogs being fostered will be fully vetted, vaccinated, and microchipped before placement. The only cost to foster families will be providing food and water for the short time the dogs are away from the shelter.
This weekend, PAW will hold walk-in foster events Friday through Sunday, from 1 to 4 p.m. Those interested can stop by, fill out an application, and be matched with a dog to take home temporarily—especially those weighing 40 pounds or more, since smaller dogs can be accommodated elsewhere in the facility.
While a few local boarding businesses have stepped in to help, their capacity is limited during the busy vacation season. The shelter is hopeful that enough people will open their homes to allow crews to tackle the repainting one kennel run at a time.
Fostering isn’t available on Thursday due to scheduled spay and neuter procedures, but the weekend provides a key window to move dogs into safe, temporary homes and keep the project moving forward.
