Local shelters offer adoptions by appointment

Those looking for a quarantine companion better be serious if they plan on frequenting any of the animal shelters in the Flathead Valley.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, shelters have imposed strict limitations on visitors to reduce the spread of the virus. Both Flathead County Animal Shelter and the Humane Society of Northwest Montana are taking guests by appointment only and are requesting that only serious adopters enter the shelter. On Thursday afternoon, Gov. Steve Bullock issued a “stay at home” order effective until at least April 10, that also required all nonessential businesses to close. However, animal shelters are among the establishments considered to be “essential” and will therefore remain open, albeit in a new fashion.

Flathead County Animal Shelter Director Cliff Bennett said the shelter has asked their volunteers to stay at home to minimize contact and is operating with a skeleton crew in the meantime.

“It’s pretty hard for us to work from home unless we take 10 or 12 animals with us,” Bennett said.

The county shelter currently has just one person to care for the dogs and another to look after their cats.

“We actually have seen quite a few more cats come in here lately and I don’t know if people are dumping them off or what they’re doing there,” Bennett said. “We’re about full on cats right now.”

And while they don’t typically rely on fostering, since pets located outside the shelter don’t get adopted as quickly, he would be open to those interested in fostering a feline.

Bennett doesn’t foresee an uptick in adoptions until the virus crisis abates, since the shelter doesn’t have the amount of walk-in traffic they usually see.

“We’re trying to, like everybody else, to limit social contact and human traffic out here,” he explained.

People can’t come in just to see the cute puppies and kittens, they have to schedule an appointment ahead of time and those are limited to one guest per hour, Bennett said. He encourages prospective adoptees to look at the shelter’s website first to see what animals are available before coming in.

“The software program we use is up to the minute — when a dog comes in at noon he’s on the website at 12:10 p.m.,” he said.

Bennett is thankful to the public for their patience and understanding in such an unprecedented time and hopes that things will be “back to normal before we know it.”

The scene is similar over at the Humane Society of Northwest Montana.

Volunteers aren’t coming in and adoptions are available by appointment only. Those who do make an appointment are also asked to fill out an adoption form beforehand and can learn about the pet’s behavior and needs by talking with staff over the phone in advance.

“We’re just really working with serious adopters,” Executive Director Lori Heatherington said. “It’s gotta be such that, ‘Hey, I want that animal regardless.’”

She estimated the Humane Society won’t adopt out as many pets as they do usually due to the coronavirus restrictions on visitors.

In some larger cities like New York and Dallas, pet adoptions and fostering are actually trending upward as people look for comfort and companionship during quarantine and self-isolation, according to the New York Times. The reverse is also true in some parts of the country, where people in financial straits have opted to surrender their animals.

But Heatherington isn’t seeing either trend on the local level.

“I think that’s much more common in larger cities than it is here,” she said.

What she is dealing with, however, is a large number of animals that have to stay in the shelter, but can’t be listed on the website since they haven’t been vaccinated yet.

“Of the 15 that are in-house, 10 are puppies and they can’t leave because they’re not vaccinated,” Heatherington explained. Without an on-site vet, the Humane Society has to make an appointment like the rest of the general public, but many local veterinarians are booked out, she said. And while the shelter has a lot of animals, it can’t foster out the younger pets since their health would be at-risk prior to vaccination — not from the coronavirus, but from other animals.

The good news is, the animals listed on the Humane Society’s website are ready to walk out the door and into their forever homes. The shelter will also continue to accept donations for their Pet Pantry. Any pet food left at the shelter door will be collected and taken to the Flathead Food Bank.

And while visitors aren’t stopping in to spend time with the animals, Heatherington said they are getting plenty of love from staff members along with outdoor time.

“They definitely get a lot of love and we make sure they get out and exercise,“ she said. “Just look to keep hope alive — We’re still here. The sun is shining.”

Reporter Mackenzie Reiss may be reached at 758-4433 or mreiss@dailyinterlake.com.