I have been sharing lost and found stray dogs and cats etc. in four counties (Pinellas, Pasco, Hernando and Citrus) via my facebook page for the better part of a year now. I’m helping in this small way in order to get those lost animals back home to their owners, or find forever homes for homeless animals. Through this journey, I found a wonderful companion and she now has a loving home.
In addition to finding lost animals, I learned about the many lonely animals living in shelters who were in desperate need of forever homes. By sharing these animals’ pictures and pertinent information, I found this to be an extremely beneficial way to help solve the problem and to help alleviate the overcrowding in shelters. Facebook’s smart method of sharing, first of all, lessened the search time for those desperate owners who are frantically searching for their lost pet. And secondly, homeless animals are more apt to get a new home quicker if they are seen prominently, on Facebook’s popular pet sharing endeavor.
There are other sources of sharing such as: Nextdoor Neighbor, Pawboost Alert, Lost and Found Pet Shelters throughout each county, and Jordan’s Way. They are all asking folks to consider adopting a shelter pet for a Christmas gift instead of buying a purebred pup for your family.
Surrendered pets need a safe place to wait on a new home as well. They don’t understand their abandonment and often suffer from separation anxiety. There are a myriad of reasons why pets wind up in shelters. Thank God we have these loving institutions for them to live in during these instances when the pet owner no longer wants their dog or can no longer care for their innocent pet anymore because of ill health.
As a senior citizen and now a widow, I knew what I wanted to do the minute I decided I wanted another dog. I would adopt a shelter dog! My ideal dog would have to be a female, medium sized, up to six years old, and a bigger dog than what I was used to, because over the many years of marriage, we had always had purebred tiny-mites like Pomeranians, Toy Poodles, Lhasa Apsos, and Yorkshire Terriers. But when I saw this beautiful, sleek hunting dog mix on Facebook during one of my sharing sessions, I fell in love immediately. Mysteriously I couldn’t get her out of my mind. I made the call, made an appointment to meet her at Citrus County Animal Services, and the rest is history.
After some time spent with her, I decided Libby was better than I had ever expected her to be! To me she seems like the happiest dog I have ever seen. She kicks up her heels and cavorts around my large backyard like Snoopy does in the old Peanut’s cartoon. She can run faster than a deer, and warns me if anyone is anywhere near my fence. She is going to be a great companion for the whole bunch of us who call this place home.
To find your forever friend, come meet The Citrus County Animal Services’ pets located in Inverness at 4030 S. Airport Road, behind the Speedway and Citrus County Fairgrounds and Auditorium. Shelter adoption and front desk hours are: Sunday, Monday and Holidays they are closed. Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday they are open from 10 am – 4 pm. On Thursdays they’re open from 10 am – 6 pm. Give them a call at 352-726-4120 or 352-746-8400 for the office, or email [email protected], or call her at 352-746-8408.
“In addition to our animal shelter, we participate in many outreach and adoption events. Please check our website www.citruscritters.com for upcoming events and promotions!” said Erin Cantrell, Citrus County Animal Services Customer Service Representative. She can be reached at: [email protected].
Incidentally, for a short amount of time, all the shelter fees for dogs and cats are waived at Citrus County Animal Services. One only pays a $10 fee for their County License. So hurry up and get your furbaby before this generous offer expires. The usual fee for Dogs and Puppies is $60, and Cats and Kittens are $35.
