volunteers and share the stories of shelter pets, Escambia County
Animal Shelter was a natural fit for the program, which is expected
to be aired nationally in late 2018. “The shelter has gotten a lot of
attention from the documentary, despite the fact that the show has yet
to be aired, and that has really benefited us,” says Escambia County
Animal Services Manager John Robinson.
And while the number they are currently able to house is certainly
impressive at 400, it is the cumulative number that is truly inspiring.
“The number of animals the shelter has taken in over the years is hard
to calculate—roughly tens of thousands since it was built,” Robinson
estimates. “The annual intake for the shelter ranges from 10,000 to
12,000.”
Important though their short-term care of lost, abandoned, neglected
and wounded animals might be, it is their other work that has the
most effect, as the shelter also finds homes for thousands of animals
by facilitating adoptions. Spay and neuter efforts, low cost voucher
programs and partnerships with community organizations like Friends
of the Escambia County Animal Shelter also help the shelter address
the main causes of animal overpopulation and homelessness rather
than simply dealing with the aftermath, which by extension help create
a better community for the people and the animals that call Escambia
County their home.
Escambia County Animal Shelter is located at 200 West Fairfield
Drive, Pensacola, Florida 32501. Open Monday 11:00 a.m.-5:00
p.m.; Tuesday-Friday 11:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.; and Saturday 10:00
a.m.- 4:00 p.m. For more information, call (850) 595-3075 or visit
www.myescambia.com.
In the midst of the excitement
of renovations, further buzz
was created as camera crews
from PBS’s documentary series
Shelter Me rolled film.
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