UNION COUNTY, Fla — The Union County Animal Shelter is running out of space, which means for some dogs, they are running out of time to find a forever home.
Luckily, the call for help was answered earlier week, sparing two dogs from being put down. But, that doesn't mean others could not unfortunately fall victim to overcrowding.
"People are lining up to surrender animals, what do you do? There is no place for them to go?" asked Mike Merrill.
He runs the non-profit Florida Urgent Rescue; it's his mission to make sure no animals are put down.
He recently helped relocate more than 50 dogs taken from a hoarding case in Union County.
The shelter told us in statement there are currently two open kennels but "that can change in a matter of minutes."
"We do greatly appreciate donations, but what we really need are rescues and adopters to step up," said the shelter.
"Normally we would do routine transports to take animals from some of these rural shelters and bring them to Minnesota or Michigan just to create a little space. We can't find anyone willing and able to take animals right now," Merrill told First Coast News.
Merrill's team is working overtime. He just returned from rescuing animals from Ukraine, and he has a volunteer helping families impacted by the deadly flooding in eastern Kentucky.
He and the shelter are looking for families willing to open their arms and their homes.
"The same thing is going on in Bradford County, Putnam County, Clay County. They are all full. Every single kennel in every one of the four shelters we support is full," Merrill explained.
For more information about Union County Animal Control and the available dogs up for adoption, click here.