It's not something we like to think about. Dogs being euthanized because they're not being adopted.
But a new pilot program between Hillsborough County Pet Resource Center and Hernando County Animal Services is looking to help dogs find successful adoptions.
The shelters recently agreed to swap three dogs each and move them for about a month to the new shelters.
Some dogs have spent over 100 days in a shelter. Those are the ones that would qualify to be moved.
The concept is simple. Taking a dog to a new shelter that means fresh people are exposed to it.
It's only been two weeks since the partnership started.
The dogs would stay "swapped" for about a month, then if they're still not adopted they will be sent back to their original shelter.
So far, three of the six dogs have been adopted, which employees already call a success.
“We've had a really high population lately,” says Lauryn Postiglione with Hillsborough Pet Resource Center. “It's unfortunate some have been overlooked. It's hard to walk through a shelter with 300 plus dogs and look past some that may be great dogs. We're hoping by doing this swap and getting new people in and see great dogs ... and adopt them.”
The agreement would prohibit the shelters from euthanizing a dog sent over from another county.
Our research team did some digging on this topic and found more dogs are being adopted in both counties than being euthanized.
In 2017 Hillsborough County euthanized 687 dogs but adopted out just under 5,000.
In Hernando County 145 dogs were euthanized and 559 were adopted.
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