LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Louisville Metro Animal Services currently has more than 800 stray animals in its care at its Newburg Road shelter, overcrowding that has forced staff members to put several dogs down this week to make room for new strays.

And, to make matters worse, the shelter expects to make even more tough choices after the Fourth of July.

"For the last three years, there's just been tons of dogs at all times," Stephanie Jackson, public information officer for LMAS, said Wednesday.

With tears in her eyes, Jackson said many dogs will not make it out of the shelter this week — or even today.

"We show them the love no one's ever shown them before, and then the end result is to walk them to a room where it ends? It's awful," she said. "It feels terrible."

The shelter has taken in more than 100 strays just since the start of the week. Jackson said the kennel supervisor spent the entirety of Monday putting down dogs.

"Dogs that have a bite history are usually the first dogs that we have to sign off on to euthanize," she said.

And LMAS expects the overcrowding to get even more unbearable as this week goes on.

"The day after Fourth of July is one of the busiest time, the highest intakes of the year," Jackson said.

LMAS asks for help from anyone willing to adopt, foster or even take a dog or cat our for a few hours. Getting animals out of a crate for the day means they don't have to make any hard choices — at least for a while.

"We would not be able to save the amount of lives that we saved without volunteers and fosters," Jackson said.

To view pets available for adoption, click here. 

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