Help prevent pet overpopulation

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - Mobile County Animal Shelter officials are desperately preaching a message to animal owners: spay, neuter, and confine. Mobile County Humane Officer Carmelo Miranda said the shelter can't catch up with adoptions because they receive so many animals daily.

"People have to take into account that spay and neuter is required and needed. Population of animals is growing and there is not enough homes to adopt them," Miranda said.

Miranda said the animal population in the county has exploded. The shelter gets 30 animals per day on average.

"We average about 200 adoptions a month, but we are getting about 500 to 600 animals coming in the shelter, which stays full with 100 to 200 animals, so we need help," Miranda explained.

Kristin Rush and Amanda Hymel answered the call to adopt. The two girls were at the county shelter Thursday to pick up their new puppy.

"I saw on pet finder that the dogs just came in so I e-mailed the shelter and they told me she was still available, so we decided to come in and look at them and fell in love them," Amanda said.

The shelter needs more people to step up and adopt. They are also asking owners to take responsibility for their pets. The shelter keeps animals for 30 days, and sometimes even longer to try to adopt them out. If the animals aren't adopted out, at some point they have to be put down.