Rick Gunn/Nevada Appeal Eight lab-mix puppies were abandoned recently near the Carson River. The pups are being cared for by Lyon County Animal Services and are now up for adoption.
Eight hungry, abandoned puppies were found in a Silver Springs recreation area at Carson River on Tuesday, putting the Lyon County Animal Shelter near full capacity and spurring animal lovers to find the dogs a home.
"I'm going to have to put out a 'No Vacancy' sign," Lyon County Animal Services Officer Ted Blozle said after he took in the eight dirty mutts Tuesday morning.
Silver Springs resident Judy Perry found the dogs while she and her four children hiked to the river for a swim.
Her kids immediately fell in love with them, but the last thing a busy mom needs is eight more mouths to feed.
"I thought about taking them for about three seconds," Perry said.
A dog lover and owner of black Labrador retriever Regina and pug Zeuss, she wanted the puppies to have a chance at a good home, so she brought them to the Lyon County Animal Shelter on Highway 50.
Twenty-nine of the shelter's 30 kennels are full, so shelter staff will have to place dogs together in one-dog kennels if they take in any more. Blozle said this is the season for discarded dogs, so overcrowding is more than likely.
"May through September is horrible for abandoned pets," he said.
Shelter staff have to consider euthanizing adoptable animals when they're at full capacity, but first they'll request help from privately-funded animal rescue organizations throughout the Carson/Tahoe region.
Animal rescue services such as Silver Springs Spay and Neuter, Douglas Animal Welfare Group, Nevada Humane Society, Pet Network, Puppy Love Rescue and Wylie Animal Rescue Foundation of Incline Village and several veterinarians have helped the shelter save hundreds of animals over the years, Blozle said.
However, not all of the animals can be saved. The shelter had to euthanize 32 out of 604 animals last year.
"That's really not a lot," Blozle said. "Last month, we had to euthanize zero adoptable dogs."
Tom Blomquist of Silver Springs Spay and Neuter said his 20-animal kennel for discarded pets is almost always full, but he continually finds space for one more stray and someone willing to adopt it.
He said he will spay and neuter the eight puppies, and feature them Saturday and Sunday at the Weekend Adoption Center at the intersection of Alternate 95 and Highway 50, or Four Corners, in Silver Springs.
Blomquist said the puppies have a greater chance of being adopted from the intersection instead of the shelter, because many potential adopters dislike the shelter environment.
"A lot of people just won't go because they don't want to see the animals they don't take," Blomquist said. "This way the puppies have a better chance."
The Lyon County Animal Shelter Adoption fee is $20, which includes a year of free licensing for county residents.
Contact Robyn Moormeister at rmoormeister@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1215.
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