EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. — Dozens of dogs swam to survive flooding in St. Clair County, and Tuesday night they were still in need of forever homes.
For the past two weeks, Gateway Pet Guardians in East St. Louis has been packed with dozens of dogs, prompting the shelter to urgently call for more adoptions or foster care.
"The need is very dire," Amanda Loellke, the adoption and foster manager at Gateway Pet Guardians. "If we can't move animals, we can't continue to save some off the streets."
On July 16, floodwaters rushed through the St. Clair County animal shelter, forcing nearly 70 dogs to swim to safety as workers got them to dry land with minutes to spare. Many animal lovers stepped up and fostered these dogs for two weeks, but now about 20 of them are returning to an already overcrowded shelter with no open kennels.
"As the dogs were coming in from the flood, we got creative and started giving them names of Olympic swimmers. You can come meet GPG's version of Micheal Phelps, Caleb Dressel, Katie Ledecky and Simone Manuel," Operations Director Jill Henke said in a statement. "These dogs were near drowning just two weeks ago and now they are ready to complete someone's family."
Gateway Pet Guardians hopes more people will open their hearts and provide homes for these dogs, which range in age from 1 to 3 years old. Loellke emphasized that the need for adopters and fosters is continuous and that the shelter makes the adoption process as simple as possible.
"Just walk on in to Gateway Pet Guardians and we're there to help you every step of the way," she said.
Gateway's Pet Resource Center is located at 725 N. 15th Street, East St. Louis and is open Tuesday-Friday from 2-6 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m.-noon.
Photos of the dogs awaiting adoption or foster care are available on Gateway Pet Guardians' website.