LAS searching for fosters for healthy dogs being dumped at closed shelter

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - The Lubbock Animal Shelter is facing a new round of problems after shutting down due to a disease outbreak at the end of last month.

Steven Greene, the director of Lubbock Animal Services, says despite that closure, people are now dumping animals in front of the shelter, creating an uphill battle for the city as it works to reopen LAS.

“The worst thing you can do is leave them out here in the heat,” Greene said.

The Lubbock Animal Shelter was closed on July 30 after a disease outbreak among the animals. Greene says several animals have been dumped on the shelter’s doorstep.

“One we found tied up to a tree, another one was just left out in the parking lot and late last week we had a litter of puppies that someone just left out here in a box,” Greene said.

Dumping animals is a class A misdemeanor in the state of Texas, which could lead to fines of up to $4,000 and jail time. Greene says the shelter is working to get back to normal, but LAS is currently closed to intakes for a reason.

“The fewer animals in here, the easier it is to fight the disease, the easier it is to sanitize. So, we really need help from the public,” Greene said.

Fighting that disease hasn’t been easy. Twenty-five dogs have been put down at Lubbock Animal Shelter since the outbreak, and Greene says they are desperate to find fosters to keep healthy dogs alive.

“We are not going to let any animals out of here that have any signs of sickness anything that would be in foster or adoption would definitely be a healthy animal that have not shown any symptoms at all,” Greene said.

Greene says with LAS closed and most surrounding shelters being at max capacity, the city is looking for solutions to relocate healthy animals.

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