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Animal drop-offs happen in wake of shelter closing

By Miles Layton jmlayton@heraldstandard.Com 4 min read

Michelle Soroka was greeted by a crying kitten, who was in a lot of pain, one morning when she arrived for work at Camelot Veterinary Clinic in Uniontown. She said it is becoming more and more common for people to drop off unwanted animals at area veterinary clinics since Fayette County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals shelter shut its doors in August.

“The kitten was real nice, friendly,” said Soroka, a longtime veterinarian technician for Camelot. “That’s not the first time that someone dropped an animal off and it won’t be the last time either. Cats are in really bad shape in the area. It was bad before with how they cared for strays at the animal shelter, but now it’s so much worse.”

But that’s not the worst part of the kitten’s story.

“The kitten had a broken jaw and was in a lot of pain. Someone dropped off that cat just like that. We had no choice but to euthanize it,” she said.

The state Department of Agriculture (DOA) revoked the shelter’s license Aug. 12. The SPCA’s animal shelter shut its doors in late August after being quarantined and losing its license. Many of the animals were transferred to Animal Friends of Westmoreland.

Soroka said recently, a Uniontown couple called the clinic to ask about dropping off their puppy — a pit bull.

“I told them ‘no’ that we don’t take any drop offs,” she said. “A few days later, they tried to drop off their puppy one morning, but we caught them. They were told where to take their animal.”

Camelot is not alone in its policy to not accept drop-offs of unwanted animals.

“We’ve had calls, but we redirect them to the animal shelters,” said Brenda Beal, office manager at Geary Veterinary Services of Lemont Furnace.

Soroka advises people to contact Hoffman Kennels of Delmont or the Animal Rescue League in Pittsburgh. She said Fayette Friends of Animals is at full capacity and Animal Friends of Westmoreland is no longer taking animals. She also tells people to search out Fayette County’s Dogs Deserve Better page on Facebook.

The pit bull puppy’s story does not end as expected.

“When the couple left the vet, Dr. (William) Sheperd followed them in his car to make sure they didn’t drop the dog off along the side of the road,” Soroka said. “They didn’t know he was behind them. He caught them stopping by the side of the road. He told them not to drop the puppy off. They got back in their car and kept driving. After that, they took off every time he got close.”

Lucinda Monaco, a board member at Fayette Friends of Animals, said the shelter has experienced its fair share of drop-offs in recent months. She said people have called Fayette Friends to report dogs that they are finding.

“We just think people are taking the dogs and cats and dumping them anywhere,” she said.

Monaco said she tells people the shelter is at full capacity and not accepting any cats at this time.

“A guy called up about a dog he had found on Route 119 that he brought to the shelter,” she said. “We told him we couldn’t accept any more animals. We asked him if he could keep the dog for a couple more days until we had room. Later, someone called and said he found a dog on the mountain that fits the same description as the one that the other man had brought to the shelter. It was the same breed with the same collar and was probably the same dog.”

Reports of abandoned dogs are popping up in police reports.

Uniontown police got involved Monday when someone reported a dog that was not moving and laying in a yard along Searrights Avenue. Police said when they approached the dog, it could not stand on its own power. Hoffman Kennels was contacted and the dog was placed in a holding cell with food and water.

Lieutenant Tom Kolencik, Uniontown police, said the department has not had any more dog calls than usual since the animal shelter closed. He said when police get a call regarding animals, they contact Hoffman Kennels.

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