STROUDSBURG, Pa. — Every year, just after the holiday season, the dog kennels here at AWSOM Animal Shelter near Stroudsburg reach maximum capacity.
"During the holiday season, we see a lot of strays coming in, believe it or not. A lot of people are on their vacations, and they end up losing their dogs out of not knowing where they are. We just wait to hopefully try and find them," said Wendy Edwards, the kennel manager at AWSOM.
There are more than 20 dogs looking for their "fur-eve"r homes at the shelter in Stroud Township.
Edwards says a lot of the pups were returned or surrendered through no fault of their own.
The pandemic played a big part in the extra paws.
"Unfortunately, something has to give, and unfortunately, it's their animals, so we will love them until they find a fur-ever home," said Edwards.
The shelter hosted its annual "Home for the Holidays" foster program.
Volunteers tell Newswatch 16 it was a big hit, and a lot of cats were taken home for the holidays this year.
Edwards tells Newswatch 16 it freed up a lot of space and time for volunteers to take care of the dogs and other responsibilities.
"We are very grateful for the people who opened up their homes for a couple of weeks. It's been a very successful program this year. Most of them are staying in their fur-ever homes and being adopted," said Edwards.
If you're interested in adopting a dog or a cat from AWSOM Animal Shelter, you must fill out an application online.
Because of the pandemic, meet-and-greets with the animals are being done by appointment only.