Sevier Animal Care Center in dire straits due to overcrowding

SEVEIRVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — The Sevier Animal Care Center said they have hit extreme capacity while adoption rates are at an all-time low . They had 40 dogs at the shelter on Monday while they typically hold about 30. The shelter is seeking foster care and dog adoptions.

“We have to be the voice for them because they can’t speak for themselves,” said shelter manager Luna Brewer.

Brewer said while they have started to make progress in fostering and adopting dogs, the center is still in dire need of help.

“We do have a finite number of kennels in our temporary shelter space. This is just an old, converted car garage and we only have 34 adult dog kennels,” she said.

Because of their high intake, they have started placing dogs outside and in the hallways of the center. Brewer said this is not sustainable, but an issue many shelters their size have had to face.

“Facilities our size are having to kind of walk back in history of animal welfare and they are having to euthanize for space. They are having to make really hard calls because there’s no options there for them,” she said. “And this is what we’re doing to combat that, because in our entire time serving this county, we have never had to euthanize for space, and that is the last thing that we want to do.”

Placement manager Mandy Rush said part of the problem is finding people who want to adopt middle-aged animals.

“It’s kind of hard to place the middle-aged dogs and the middle-aged cats, honestly, too,” Rush said. “So that’s what we desperately need help with.”

Recently, they have taken in multiple dogs at a time. Many of which were brought in through animal control — stray mothers with puppies, dogs in hoarding situations, and a few cruelty cases.

Brewer said those dogs cannot leave their facility for some time, but as the need in the area continues, they have nowhere to place new dogs.

“We’ve even asked different rescues, different board and training facilities, trainers, anybody that could help us to come down and take some animals out of here so that we can create adequate space for the animals coming in,” said Brewer.

Despite their struggle, Brewer said there will be a light at the end of the tunnel. Next spring, they will have a permanent facility three times the size of their current one .

“Even though we’re experiencing such hardship right now, we know that there’s something better waiting for us. If we can just keep going, keep pushing and make it to that new facility,” she said.

As that facility is being built , they are seeking volunteers and donations like dog toys, food, and blankets. To find out how to apply for adoption or foster care you can visit their website here.

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