Pet Owners in Financial Distress Don't Have to Say Goodbye to Their Pets

In our most current , we introduced a gentle cat who was found dumped outside of the  along with her three young kittens in a crate marked "Brie."  

For whatever reason, Brie's former owner felt it necessary to abandon this helpless family of felines. But if that owner had known that the shelter offers help to residents in need, a completely different scenario could have occurred.

"We have tons of resources to help you keep your family pet," shelter director Gillian Wood Pultz said.

Beginning the process to get help starts with a simple phone call, she said.

"The first step is to call the shelter. We are not here to judge anyone — we're here to help," Wood Pultz said. "We have food donated here continuously for both cats and dogs for pet owners who cannot afford to buy their own.”

Veterinary care assistance is also available through the shelter.  

"In certain situations, even basic veterinary care assistance can be made available through the shelter — call us for details," Wood Pultz said.

Pet owners are often confronted with other difficult situations such as the tremendous problem finding housing that allows pets, but the Town of Southold Animal Shelter has a huge list of pet friendly landlords in the area.   

Wood Pultz strongly urges all North Fork community members to seek assistance from the shelter in order to avoid the need for pet re-homing.  

"Turning any animal into the shelter should always be the very last resort for anyone, and we're dedicated in making sure it rarely has to come to that point,” she said.

But Wood Pultz understands that sometimes, after every possible option has been exhausted, some pets have to be re-homed. But his can happen only after certain procedures are followed, which must begin with a phone call to the shelter. Afterward, the pet owner will be asked to fill out paperwork that will ensure that the animal is correctly re-homed.  

"This is to avoid the animal having to go through this ordeal more than once," Wood Pultz said.

Simply because there's a waiting list for animals to enter the shelter when it's full doesn't mean that there aren't people ready and willing to take specific cats and dogs immediately.

"We have substantial list of people who'd love to adopt certain types of animals," Wood Pultz said.

Dumping pets at the shelter is not only traumatic for the animals — it’s a crime that can be caught on shelter surveillance video. And leaving cats in cardboard boxes is especially dangerous for the animal, Wood Pultz said.

“People may not realize, but when cats are left in boxes, they often tear through and escape,” she said. “These cats are never found by shelter staff." 

Call the Town of Southold Animal Shelter @631-765-1811 during regular office hours of Monday – Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.