The Tuscaloosa Metro Animal Shelter is one of the main domains where one can find a cat or dog without a home. While the shelter has seen an abundance of animals come through its doors, they are doing their best to get these animals adopted into happy homes.
Miranda Workman, office assistant at Tuscaloosa Metro Shelter, said the recent Home for the Holidays adoption event was a success. Thirty-two dogs and cats were adopted.
“We’re pretty low right now in animals that are up for adoption,” Workman said. “But, in a couple of days they’ll fill back up and we’ll have more up for adoption.”
“I think it’s important to adopt animals, so you can always have a friend,” said Jazzmin Franklin, a senior majoring in telecommunication and film. “Animals don’t want to be stuck in cages all day or be put down, so it’s important to adopt so the animals can have a good life.”
Workman said the shelter has animals coming in frequently that they house for as long as they can. Overcrowding has been an issue the shelter has dealt with, but events like Home for the Holidays have assisted with the problem.
“There are some times when we have to withhold taking an animal because we get crowded,” Workman said. “We can’t take them in because we just don’t have the space.”
Senior Chantrice Pruitt has looked into adopting an animal.
“I think it was a good event because there are a lot of homeless animals, especially at the metro shelter,” she said. “There are also a lot of people out there who want animals, but can’t afford them. It’s kind of like a win-win situation for each person.”
The April 27 tornado left many people homeless and many animals homeless as well. However, Workman said the tornado is not the sole cause of overcrowding.
“I think the tornado has had a prolonged effect because usually our busiest months are the summer months when we’re constantly full,” she said. “That’s actually been extended up until last month, and that’s never really happened before. I do think the tornado had something to do with it, but we don’t know for sure.”
Like many other animal shelters, there are times when pets have to be put down. Adoption is one way to fix this problem.
“The importance of [TMAS] is to get animals homes that don’t have homes,” she said.
Many students visit the shelter as volunteers also.
“We do have a volunteer program,” Workman said. “[Students] can come in and volunteer. They can come in and visit with the animals and of course, helping out by adopting is the best thing to do.”
Franklin said, “I have a couple of friends who have fostered dogs, and they’re probably going to end up adopting them. It’s good to help our community in any way we can.”
For more information website the Tuscaloosa Metro Animal Shelter Website, metroanimalshelter.org.
