The Genesee County Animal Shelter has slammed shut its doors, grappling with an unwelcome trifecta of contagious diseases pummeling the canine residents within its care. According to an ABC12 report, an influx of stray dogs has brought with it an outbreak of canine distemper, parvovirus, and a persistent scourge of kennel cough, triggering an emergency closure as the shelter, struggling near its 250-dog capacity has not been spared the irony of offering refuge while concurrently battling these widespread infections.
Despite the shelter's proactive measures of administering vaccinations to new arrivals, they've provided only nominal defense, and certainly no silver bullet as sick dogs seem to start showing symptoms following a five-day quarantine period, during which staff and volunteers unwittingly took carriers on leisurely strolls around the facility, therefore, despite best efforts at prevention, the contagion marched on, unseen, undeterred. The shelter vows to maintain a "rigorous cleaning regimen" with additional disinfectant used in communal canine areas, as detailed in a statement on their Facebook page.
Officials are barking up the community's tree, imploring pet owners to vaccinate their furry friends, warning that failure to do so might not only be detrimental to the animal but could land an owner in the legal doghouse with potential criminal neglect charges. In a leashed effort to keep the outbreak contained and provide time for a full-scale clean-up and care for the afflicted animals, Genesee County is doing its part to manage the current crisis while casting an earnest plea towards the public for assistance in remote identification and temporary housing of strays in an effort to slow the inflow into the overwhelmed shelter.
