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Dogs hate thunder, and winds are the nemesis of backyard gates and fences. Those are just two of the factors in our recent bout of tempestuous, stormy weather that have led to an influx of canines at the Humboldt County Animal Shelter in McKinleyville.

“Between last Wednesday [March 28] and today we’ve taken in 16 dogs,” said Andre Hale, the county’s animal control facilities manager. She said that with more than 50 dogs currently crowding the facility, the county has reduced adoption fees from now through Friday in hopes of finding them all homes.

“We had those terrible thunderstorms on Thursday and Friday, and dogs freak out in the thunder – they’ll just take off running,” Hale said. Shelter staff has managed to reunite some of these frightened runaways with their owners, but many others remain unclaimed. 

Hale said that concerned members of the public will often corral strays when inclement weather is on the way, hoping to at least give them shelter from the wind, rain and hail.

But the shelter has been crowded for months, and now it’s over capacity, which is simply not sustainable.

”In short term you make do, but it can’t continue,” Hale said. “So I try to get ‘em adopted out or placed in foster homes. If all that fails, we’re forced to look at euthanasia.”

The reduced adoption fees for dogs are as follows:

• $80 for puppies (six months old or younger)
• $50 for dogs aged seven months to seven years
• $35 for senior dogs (eight years old and up)

The adoption application can be found here: https://humboldtgov.org/2658/Animal-Shelter

You can search for adoptable dogs (and cats!) at 24petconnect.com, and photos are also posted to the Humboldt County Animal Shelter’s Facebook page.

The shelter, located at 980 Lycoming Ave. in McKinleyville, is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

For more information, email hsoanimalshelter@co.humboldt.ca.us or call the shelter at 707-840-9132.