JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Hundreds of dogs and cats at the City of Jacksonville's animal shelter are looking for their fur-ever home. On Saturday morning, the city’s Animal Care and Protective Services shelter opened its doors and kennels for a free event promoting pet adoptions.
The event comes after First Coast News reported in November claims of unhealthy conditions at the shelter, which leaders say have now been addressed.
Nearly 300 dogs are housed at the ACPS shelter, but with only 264 kennels, some citizens like Elaine Basham are concerned about overcrowding.
“We were hearing that the dogs were sleeping in their waste and the food wasn’t so good," said Elaine Basham with Duval County's Concerned Citizens for Cats and Dogs.
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In November, First Coast News reported on those conditions at the shelter after receiving pictures of kennels covered in feces.
Since then, Mayor Donna Deegan says the shelter’s budget has been increased by over half a million dollars and shelter leaders have introduced new policies to improve conditions.
"They've been very intentional about making sure that that the facilities are cleaned on a regular basis, making sure there's enough volunteers to get these animals out for walks on a regular basis to make sure that they can thrive while they're waiting to be adopted," said Deegan. "There are a lot of animals that want a forever home."
The chief of ACPS said Jacksonville residents have been up for the challenge to help the shelter out with more than just adoptions.
"We've seen an increase in adoptions, we've seen an increase in volunteer hours, an increase in the amount of foster homes that we have," said Michael Bricker, the chief of Animal Care and Protective Services. “We're getting the word out there in a big way. And the citizens of Duval County are responding.”
And if maybe you can't help out with adopting a pet, ACPS is always looking for volunteers to help with some of their services, including dog walking.
For more information on volunteering at Animal Care and Protective Services, CLICK HERE.