EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. — Animal shelters on both sides of the Mississippi River have seen a lot of new faces over the last few days due to the cold temperatures, and now, they urgently need your help.
Gateway Pet Guardians in East St. Louis said over the last week they’ve had 50 dogs come in out of the cold all while their shelter reached capacity weeks ago.
“We've been asking the community to step in and help us by fostering. And when you open doors at homes, we're able to continue bringing in those emergency cases,” Gateway Pet Guardians volunteer Andrea Zurbriggen said.
5 On Your Side helped Zurbriggen bring in one of those emergency cases that residents said has been out on the street for a while.
“We need to get you inside, honey. That’s a sweet baby,” she said as she let the shaking dog out of a trap.
She even let us in on the naming process, and we decided to call him Yeti to go with the cold weather theme.
With the influx of animals, they also need more than just foster homes.
“As you saw, Yeti today is clearly going to need some medical care, but we also need some supplies. So with a bunch of new foster homes, we provide those supplies to fosters; things like medium to large size wire crates, leashes, large and medium martingale collars,” Zurbriggen said.
On the other side of the river, Care STL also had about 50 cats and dogs brought in as temperatures plummeted, including a starving puppy named Scrappy who was found in the backyard of a vacant home.
“We've had a few come in that have medical conditions or that are very thin. Particularly, conditions that affect the hair coat right now are dangerous because that's another way that they help keep themselves warm in the winter,” Care STL Executive Director and Veterinarian Dr. Abbie Atteberry said.
Atteberry said she wants all pet owners to keep these tips in mind when it gets this cold.
“Key things to remember here are short walks, staying indoors as much as possible, and pets that need to be outdoors really need some additional heat support and a good shelter, shelter that protects them from the elements, including the wind and being dry from any snow or other precipitation,” Atteberry said.
Gateway Pet Guardians has also been giving assistance to pet owners that need it by providing crates and shelters with straw.
If you’d like to help with donations or by fostering, click here for Gateway Pet Guardians in Illinois and click here for Care STL in Missouri.
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