Idaho Falls Animal Shelter announces free dog adoptions

IDAHO FALLS — There couldn’t be a better time to adopt a dog from the Idaho Falls Animal Shelter. All dog adoptions and owner reclaims are currently free, the city of Idaho Falls announced in a news release this week.

The shelter is making this move due to an “extremely high” number of dogs at the shelter. Some of these have been at the shelter for several weeks, hoping to be reclaimed by their owners or adopted into a new home.

The shelter is currently home to 20 dogs who can be adopted and taken home today. Almost 26 more will become available for adoption in the next few days.

“It isn’t that we’re having a shocking amount (of dogs) coming it, it’s just that they are not leaving,” shelter employee XXX told EastIdahoNews.com. She said the shelter often runs discounts and other incentive programs during the summer.

“Summertime is just generally one of our busiest times,” she said.

“There’s a multitude of reasons” why dogs end up at the shelter. Some were surrendered by their owners, but many of them came in as strays or possibly-lost dogs. These, according to Idaho law, must be kept for at least five business days. During the hold, shelter staff try to contact owners through information on the dog’s tags/collars, microchips and other available means. The goal is to reunite the dog with its owners if possible.

“If shelter staff are unable to locate an owner in this time frame, or if the previous owner is contacted and surrenders the dog, the dog is then made available for adoption,” the news release stated.

For whatever reason, shelter officials say, the number of adoptions has slowed. The shelter is far over its capacity.

Anyone who wants to help with the over-abundance of dogs can go to the shelter and fill out an application. If you can’t adopt a dog — maybe your landlord doesn’t allow pets, your child is allergic or your name is Nate Eaton — Clements urges you to donate your time or money.

Volunteer Dog Walkers are welcome and appreciated. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9:00 a.m., the dogs go out for walks with volunteers. You can also volunteer to take a dog on a “Day Date,” where you take them out into the public with you and go on adventures together — this helps dogs socialize and allows people to see them outside the shelter setting.

Donations are always welcome, Clements said. The more they can have programs like this running, the more dogs can find their homes.

Jessica Clements of the Idaho Falls Police Department and XXX said the best way to help is to keep dogs from coming to the shelter in the first place.

“Put a collar and tags of your dog,” they both said emphatically. Microchip your dog in case a collar or tags come off.

“The worst (situation) is when a dog comes in with a cute collar but no tags. You know someone loves this dog, but we don’t have any way to call Mom,” Clements said.

If you’ve lost your dog in the past few weeks, now is the time to check for them and take them back home at no cost. Additionally, your furry friend will have their vaccines updated and will be sent home with a brand new microchip and license.

The best way to know if a dog is at the shelter is to visit them at 2450 Hemmert Avenue in Idaho Falls. However, people can also call the shelter at (208) 612-8670 or check the Idaho Falls Animal Shelter Facebook page for photos of dogs currently at the shelter. That album is updated as frequently, but there can be a delay between when dogs arrive at the shelter and when their photo is added to Facebook due to staff availability.

Dogs adopted from the shelter will be spayed/neutered, microchipped, licensed and receive all their required vaccinations. Adoptable dogs at the shelter come in many different breeds and ages — from puppies all the way up to senior dogs.

How long will this go?

What to do if you need to rehome a dog?