Lollypop Farm, Verona Street Animal Society, experiencing crowding

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) — Lollypop Farm is full. The shelter says it’s facing a high volume of requests for pets to be admitted.

The shelter says it’s prioritizing pets and families facing emergencies and other situations and are urging those who need help to contact them rather than attempt to admit their pet to the shelter by a walk-in appointment.

The Verona Street Animal Society says it is also at high capacity. It’s seeing an influx of dogs.

While summer is always a busy time for the shelter, the shelter says there are fewer foster homes available at the moment and the pace of adoption has slowed.

The crowded shelter is a stressful environment for the dogs, especially those who have been abused.

"Those are the ones that are coming in because the got hit by a car, their owner was incarcerated or is in the hospital, owners that are deceased or have an indoor animal that needs to come into a home, temporary boarding of animals through crisis," said Director of Animal Services Chirs Fitzgerald.

Fitzgerald says if the shelter doesn’t get more help, its next step is to start holding dogs in training kennels.

The city is waiving adoption fees starting Monday, Aug. 23 through Sept. 22. The Verona Street Animal Society does require people to make appointments to adopt. Click here for more information.

To help foster pets for Verona Street Animal Society, click here. Or call 585-428-7274 to volunteer or donate. In a Facebook post, Verona Street warned against donating to the personal Venmo accounts of people claiming to be fostering animals for them.