Recent storms send more stray dogs to the Lucas County shelter

TOLEDO, Ohio -- Strong storms over the weekend have led to a surge of stray dogs taken in at Lucas County Canine Care and Control, prompting staff to ask the community for help reuniting pets with their owners.

The shelter took in 33 stray dogs between Friday and Wednesday. The shelter said Tuesday evening that 32 dogs were taken in, but another dog has since come to the shelter.

LC4 spokesperson Cassie Bloomfield says severe weather often causes pets to escape when fences are damaged or gates are blown open.

"We saw fences down, gates blown open, trees knocked down, so our influx of dogs has gone up," Bloomfield said.

The number of dogs being taken in continues to rise, too. While caring for stray animals is part of the shelter's daily work, the sudden spike is creating additional challenges.

"When our population goes up, it's business as usual, just a little bit more work, obviously. When our dog population is really high, cleaning is more involved," Bloomfield said.

Staff say the fastest way to reduce overcrowding is by reuniting dogs with their owners. They encourage anyone missing a pet to visit the shelter and check the kennels in person.

"The biggest need is for anyone who's missing their dog to come down, do a walkthrough and hopefully their friend's here and they can reclaim them. That's one less dog in our kennel," Bloomfield said.

She also stressed the importance of pet identification, especially microchipping, which can help quickly return lost animals to their owners.

"A microchip is in them forever until it's surgically removed. So if all of the dogs who came in today and the last few days had a microchip, they could be on their way home. We would know exactly who they belong to and our population wouldn't be so high," she said.

The shelter is also asking the community for donations. Canned dog food is currently the top need, especially for injured or sick animals.

"It's much more palatable than kibble. We can hide medications in it. So we go through it a lot and it is our No. 1 need for sure," Bloomfield said.

For pet owners still searching for their animals, Bloomfield says not to lose hope.

"Don't give up. We've had people who have found their dog after months, after years. You see those stories on TV, so don't give up," she said.

Staff say even if pet owners have already visited and didn't find their dog, they should continue checking back as new animals are brought in every day.