Warren County Humane Society encourages the community to adopt, get animals spayed and neutered as they near capacity

BOWLING GREEN, Ky.- The Bowling Green-Warren County Humane Society is urging residents to adopt, volunteer and have their pets spayed or neutered as the shelter approaches capacity during one of its busiest times of the year.

Shelter officials say the summer months consistently bring an increase in stray animals, leading to a sharp rise in the number of cats and dogs in their care.

The shelter is currently housing about 540 animals, with that number climbing as high as 625 in recent weeks.

Staff members say many of the animals arrive after being found wandering neighborhoods or picked up as strays during the warmer months, creating an ongoing need for space and resources.

To help reduce overcrowding, the Humane Society is offering half-price adoption fees until the shelter population decreases. Officials also encourage community members to volunteer, noting that spending time with the animals often leads to successful adoptions.

In addition to adoptions, shelter staff say increasing the number of pets that are spayed and neutered is the most effective long-term solution to reducing the number of homeless animals.

“Spaying and neutering is literally the only thing that’s going to stop this,” said Katlyn Hare, an adoption counselor with the Bowling Green-Warren County Humane Society. “We always joke that we don’t know how we haven’t worked ourselves out of a job yet because we’re doing 80 to 100 surgeries a day, and it’s still not enough. We have to help people understand the importance of spaying and neutering.”

The Humane Society is also offering $25 spay and neuter surgeries to help make the service more affordable for pet owners.

For more information about adoptions, volunteering or low-cost spay and neuter services, visit the Bowling Green-Warren County Humane Society website.