Mississippi animal shelter overwhelmed, forced to turn away at least 10 animals a day

Published 9:11 am Wednesday, November 13, 2019

A Mississippi animal shelter has been over capacity for months, forcing it to stop taking in any animals brought in by the public.

The Leflore County Humane Society’s volunteer interim director, Janice McCurdy, tells The Greenwood Commonwealth that the shelter turns away at least 10 animals daily. She says the shelter currently has about 65 dogs and 50 cats in its custody. Its capacity is at 40 dogs and 20 cats.

In August, the shelter started only accepting animals from animal control.

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The society’s board president, Aubrey Whittington, says she doesn’t remember ever turning away so many animals for so long.

A new 6,200-square-foot shelter facility is in the works, but likely won’t open until 2020. Whittington says the shelter’s capacity will stay the same despite the increased shelter size.