12/04/2022
Homeward Bound could use your help. Adopt, foster, donate, volunteer. Please share.
In an effort for full transparency, we want to share the following:
You will start seeing more posts about urgent dogs.
We, as many other shelters across the country, or perhaps, as I should say, as most other shelters across the country, find ourselves filled beyond capacity.
The situation brings more problems than just physical space. The more dogs we house and try to maintain, the more stressed the population of dogs become. 
We are seeing dogs arrive and quickly become very stressed and start to exhibit behavioral problems because of the large number of dogs that we are trying to house and keep safe. This is not something that is sustainable. It’s impossible.
We cannot stand by and watch as dogs deteriorate in kennels and deteriorate to the point that they become unsafe for staff and volunteers to handle. We cannot allow our hearts to override our minds and let people get hurt…or worse.
When a dog goes from front brain, which is rational, normal, thought processes, to hind brained, which is more like as most people would understand hind brain (pack mentality, essentially) where, absolutely nothing can turn off the switch that causes horrifying behavior, people get hurt. Or worse.
The painful part is that we are very much aware that the majority of these problems can be handled if we were able to place them into a foster home or foster based rescue that was prepared to allow them to decompress safely and provide some time for rehabilitation. We’ve seen it time and time again.
However, we’ve also seen time and time again that trying to correct behaviors within the shelter, such as leash, biting, grabbing and jumping in reactivity are not successful.
⚠️We are not a behavioral rehabilitation facility. ⚠️
We never will be with the numbers that we see coming in through the door; discarded, unwanted, and thrown away dogs.  the latest trend is French bulldogs, “Fluffy Bulldogs”
which is a mix of American bulldogs and French bulldogs, (talk about a genetic disaster) German shepherds, and Belgian Malnois.
As hard as we try, we know that it’s not possible to rehabilitate dogs in the shelter. The longer they stay, the worst things get, and it literally spread like wildfire. 🔥
Unfortunately, decisions have to be made. As painful as it is. Ss devastated as it makes us. As much as it tears our hearts apart. We know the potential.  No one works at the shelter because it’s a glamorous job or because of money; they work at the shelter because they care about the dogs.
It’s absolutely heartbreaking when we reach the point that we know that a dog no longer is safe to keep in the shelter.
If only we could find a rescue. If only we could find a foster home. If we could only find the right adopter. Their lives are hanging in the balance. It’s on us. But it’s radio silence.
Dogs are pouring through the door and overflowing the shelter to the point that we are at where we have dogs in crates everywhere.
The dogs in the kennels who are demonstrating these poor behaviors are really just begging for help and that is the absolute most heartbreaking part of the whole equation.
We want to help them, but yet no one will step up. Everyone wants us to save lives, but no one is willing to take a part in helping us save lives, and it’s absolutely devastating. We can’t point fingers at partner rescues because we know they are dealing with the same things that we are.
We have joined in training sessions to try to figure out ways to work around this and to make the best choices that we can for the dogs that are in our care. We are doing absolutely everything in our power to save lives, but we are up against a tsunami. 
It’s across the country. It’s everyone we reach out to. It’s affected every partner.
So please, before you start to criticize and spread hatred,  what can you do to help?
If you throw your hands up in the air and say that you wish there was something you could but there’s nothing and start to cry, that’s where we are. We have been there for months.!🥺
We are all working as hard as we can, and as fast as we can to get, these animals moved out, but no one is stepping up.
We are an open admission, animal shelter; we cannot turn down any animal who comes in from a contracted municipality.
That means no matter how many animals we have, no matter the lack of space, we can’t say no.
Where do we go from here? We wish wish knew. Costs are up, intake is up, donations are down. Adoptions and rescue are down.
We are all suffering.
Please be kind.
Please share.
Please, if you see spelling or grammar mistakes, forgive us. We are tired.
When you don’t know what so do or how to act…be kind.
One last thing. Focus on local saves first. That’s my opinion only.
Really. If your “friends” won’t help…who will.

