Dogs need TLC as summer approaches

To Manatee County school teachers and people who have summer vacations:

There are many animal lovers who can’t have a pet... but have you ever thought of just coming over a few hours a week and pick out one or two dogs you’re attracted to and give them time out from their small cages? When you factor in their little beds, the cages measure less than 60 inches by 40 inches. You also can sit with them in one of our several play yards. Many of us consider the ones we get attached to as our “adopted buddies who live at Manatee County Animal Services.” Our “orphans” would love the company.

If you’re so inclined, gather a few friends and call 941-742-5933 to come to a one-hour class. Many of our volunteers are snowbirds and they will be leaving in the next four weeks, so we’ll lose 50 percent of our help.

There are other fun things to do, like giving dogs a bath, which is lots of fun for you and the dog; wash dog dishes, which may take over an hour, since we have over 150 dogs. It’ll make you very happy to see them wagging their tails when you approach them. I can never decide who’s more happy, me or the dogs. You can make ice cubes at home in plastic containers or trays and bring them in a cooler and then drop the ice cubes in their (warm) water bowl. Summer is so difficult for them, because 50 percent of the dogs are in the outside portion of a cage and that hot sun beats down on them and their water bowls. We try to rotate the dogs, so half of the summer they’ll be on the inside portion of the cage. We can hold 80 dogs comfortably but we now have over 150, so each dog only gets half a cage.

Call us today, start making those ice cubes!. When you see your friends you’ll be able to say, Hi, I “adopted” two dogs yesterday and took them for a walk and sat with them. I’ll be visiting them two or three times a week as long as I can! Come with me and I’ll introduce you to a few.

We at MCAS really need you to help keep these dogs from feeling lonesome... we all know that feeling and it’s not enjoyable.

This story was originally published April 6, 2017 at 2:19 PM with the headline "Dogs need TLC as summer approaches."