BOCA RATON, Fla. — Every kennel at Tri-County Animal Rescue in Boca Raton is full, and staff are turning to the community for help.
All 150 kennels at the shelter are occupied, and Assistant Director Amanda Zimmer said the calls to take in more animals keep coming.
WATCH BELOW: 'We need additional help from the community to adopt,' Assistant Director Amanda Zimmer tells WPTV
"We've always been needed," Zimmer said. "Lately it has been on steroids."
This week, Zimmer said someone left an entire litter of puppies next to a dumpster.
"Just to be thrown away like trash. To see them as disposable — it's heartbreaking," Zimmer said.
Dumping dogs has been at the center of recent animal rights legislation in Florida. The crime is a misdemeanor, but depending on the condition the dog is found in or even weather conditions, it can be upgraded to a felony.
The abandoned litter was not the only emergency this week. Animal control also asked the rescue to step in for a dog with a broken leg.
"It was a $5,000 surgery," Zimmer said. "As I speak to you, being plated for his femur repair."
Zimmer said the overcrowding is not unique to Tri-County — nearby rescues are facing the same problem.
"We're all in this position," Zimmer said.
She is now asking the public to step up.
"We need additional help from the community to adopt," Zimmer said.
The shelter said it plans to take in 10 more dogs next week. Even for those who cannot adopt, donations and fostering can make a significant difference as the shelter continues caring for the animals in its care. Those who would like to donate can do so here.
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