ALLEGAN, Mich. — Kate Rouster has been very busy lately. She and her team at the Allegan County Animal Shelter have been taking care of 17 dogs and 60 cats at their facility, feeding them, bathing them and trying to find them new homes by Sunday.
“We’re busy because we’re closing down for 4-6 weeks for renovations on the building,” said Rouster, who’s a dog assessor at the shelter. “We have a bunch of appointments set up for dog and cat fosters and for some, adoptions.”
Rouster said they have until Sunday January 19 to find the animals temporary homes. They’ve found homes for most of the animals to stay in while the shelter gets new floors, sinks and a new ventilation system over the coming weeks.
However, 30 cats still need temporary homes, she said.
“People who foster for us, we would love them to adopt if they want to,” Rouster said. “But it’s just basically to get them out of here, into a home setting so they remember what it’s like to live in a home and not be in a shelter setting.”
She added that all the animals have been vaccinated, spayed, neutered, micro-chipped and checked for heart worms. So, they’re ready to go.
Since word got out about the animals needing to be moved, they’ve already received 200 applications, she said.
“We have had amazing community outreach right now and we’ve gotten flooded with so many applications to foster,” Rouster said. “And some fosters who are there already have already chosen to adopt.”
Rouster said the best place to apply is on their website. If an applicant chooses to foster, the shelter is willing to pay for food and medical services while the animal is housed.
The applicant just needs to be at least 21-years-old and have “love in their heart” to care for the animals, she said.
“It normally takes about three days to process [applications],” Rouster said. “But we are trying to get to the applications much quicker since we only have a few days left.”
