In the Phoenix Valley, near US 60 and Happy Valley Road, just west of Phoenix, a family was found living in a homeless camp with more than 150 dogs. The camp was full of trash and debris, but the family did what they could to care for the animals. They kept the dogs in kennels and homemade enclosures.
According to KBTX, the family was living on state land and were being forced to leave. It just got too much for them, and they reached out to Ellie Smith, the Founder of Sky Sanctuary Rescue in Phoenix. Rescue teams came to the camp to help remove the animals. When rescuers arrived, they found the dogs overall healthy and well fed, which isn’t always the case.
Sky Sanctuary Rescue could not turn a blind eye to the difficult situation in the homeless camp. They said, “It’s not often that members of the transient community reach out begging for help but when this family ended up homeless, in the brutal heat of the desert with the 150 animals they were so desperately trying to keep alive in the Arizona monsoons, we knew we had to help.”
Sky Sanctuary was able to take in 55 dogs, and the Maricopa County Sheriff’s office took additional dogs. Many of the dogs are currently ready to be adopted out.
According to KBTX, the family lived with the animals in the camp for a year after losing their home during the pandemic. A challenging situation for both the animals and the family.
According to PetKeen, 5-7 million companion animals are left with animal shelters each year. In the United States, there are approximately 3,500 animal shelters. Many think that no-kill shelters do not euthanize any of their animals. But they can euthanize up to ten percent. One thing that many people may not have thought about is the effect the pandemic has had on animal shelters. Since the pandemic, animal adoptions have dropped significantly down. According to PETA, spraying and neutering animals is the most effective way to prevent animals from becoming homeless.
Sky Sanctuary Rescue is accepting donations to help out with the increased costs.
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