OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — The Osceola County animal shelter is usually filled to the brim with dogs in the summer. This year, it’s coming with extra stress.
A major renovation project to update the shelter’s ventilation system, add sprinklers to a play yard, and increase the size of the intake and storage areas has also taken 20 of the shelter’s kennels – about one in six – offline.
“That is a lot of dogs that try to fit in everywhere,” Program Supervisor Mileny Robles-Lopez said.
The smaller-than-usual capacity means shelter staff are turning surrenders away and asking family members and neighbors to take them in or asking them to turn to other community organizations.
A county spokesperson said that it included about a dozen dogs whose owners were detained and arrested because of their immigration status.
“The situation is very anecdotal… we aren’t receiving the information from law enforcement but rather from other family members, friends, or neighbors,” Director of Communications Tyler Winik wrote.
Winik said his shelter has taken in a few cases. So far, Osceola County is the only county in Central Florida to confirm this has happened. Others like Lake, Seminole, and Halifax in the Daytona area said they were unaware of any instances in their shelters.
The strain is expected to continue as deportations ramp up and net more people. The shelter’s first phase of renovations was expected to end this week. Robles-Lopez said a second phase, affecting their back kennel building, will begin in October and last approximately one year.
She said the shelter was looking for foster and “furever” families. Two upcoming adoption events will give 12 dogs the chance to meet interested potential owners at the nearby PetSmart on the 26th and Petco a few days later.
The shelter is also waiving adoption fees for the month and is preparing to start its new volunteer program later this summer.
“I always say, just stop by see what we have,” Robles-Lopez said. “We always appreciate it.”
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