MILTON — Santa Rosa County’s Animal Services department has 193 animals — cats and dogs — at its 4451 Pine Forest Road facility, as of this writing, according to Animal Services Director Dale Hamilton.
Associates would like to see those animals — particularly cats; June is Cat Adoption Month — in forever homes.
Last year, Animal Services adopted out 570 animals, and transferred 624 to other agencies like rescue organizations, Hamilton said.
“They all left on good terms,” he said.
However, he said, the department last year collected 6,600 animals, including horses, snakes, other wildlife and sick animals.
Owners surrendered 2,000 of those animals, Hamilton said. This meant people moved and couldn’t take their pets with them or the owners died, among other reasons.
Hamilton said Animal Services does put animals to sleep, and said, “If we can help it, we’re not going to put a healthy animal down.”
Here’s how the adoption process works:
●Choose a dog or cat.
●Pass an interview. Hamilton said people sometimes fail the interview, part of which could include yard checks to ensure animals will have enough space to roam.
●Approved owners pre-pay for spaying and neutering.
●The vet will then fax the receipt to Animal Services or the owner can bring it. The animal is then transported to the vet for the procedure before the owner takes it home.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: County seeks homes for fur babies during Cat Adoption Month