BILLINGS — Following the Sept. 10 closure of the Yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter following an incinerator malfunction, the city is struggling to find homes for stray animals.
With the shelter unavailable, veterinary hospitals in the Billings area are concerned about stray animals being dropped off in their spaces.
Watch local veterinarians talk about limited space in their clinics:
“Our capacity is really not geared towards that kind of living and life situation. So, we have limited capacity to do that,” Dr. Amber Herron, owner of Caring Hands Veterinary Hospital at 985 S. 24th St. W., said Monday.
Herron’s veterinary hospital has minimal space to house animals.
“We only have like 12 dog spaces and a couple of cat spaces and some bird things,” Herron said.
Herron compared veterinary hospitals to human hospitals in terms of their intended purpose.
“You visit there when you're sick, you would visit there when you didn't feel well, but then you would go home to live,” Herron said.
Dr. Edie Best, who owns Billings Animal Family Hospital downtown, echoed concerns about space limitations.
“Veterinary hospitals are... we're here for our patients. And we don't have a ton of space,” Best said.
Best’s clinic can accommodate about 20 animals.
“That's including small kennels for cats, runs for big dogs. So, really not a lot of space,” Best said.
Best said that the clinic sometimes does receive stray animals but they typically keep them on a temporary basis.
“We often just keep those during the day and tell the people, you know, reach out to the owner, ‘Hey, they're here. You can come by and pick them up.’ Otherwise, we would typically say, ‘Call the shelter’,” Best said.
Watch previous Q2 coverage:
Officials at the shelter don't know when it will reopen. The building was evacuated after methampethamine seized by the FBI was burned in the nearby incinerator, and the vapors mistakenly seeped into the animal shelter. The shelter is working with a restoration company to clean the problem, and the director of the nonprofit has said she doesn't want to move back if law enforcement will continue using the incinerator for drug burns.
In a press release, the Billings Police Department is asking the public not to bring stray animals to local veterinary clinics due to space constraints, but they are working with local providers to inquire about shelter space for animals in need of care.
Related:
Yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter announces inability to shelter stray or lost pets
City planning restoration of Yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter building
Billings animal shelter director refuses to return to shelter until incinerator is shut down
