Miami-Dade Animal Services addresses concerns about Medley shelter dogs without AC
MIAMI - Residents in South Florida are not the only ones sweltering in the heat, pets are too.
CBS News Miami went inside a Medley shelter after people raised concerns on social media about some 150 dogs under extreme heat and without air conditioning.
Two-year-old Nance, a terrier mix, loves diving in the water.
Workers at the open-air Medley shelter provide kiddie pools for dogs like Nance to fight back the current high temperatures. Two-year-old Batman, an American bulldog, prefers little showers. They are both some of the 150 dogs at the 40-year-old Medley facility.
"The thing is to make them as comfortably as we possibly can," said Flora Beal, spokeswoman for Miami-Dade Animal Services.
We brought up the videos circulating on social media asking for help, implying that not enough is being done with dogs at the shelter.
CBS News Miami's Ivan Taylor asked her, "How do you answer the people who say that?"
"That the facility has industrial-sized fans, that it's really cool in this facility, though yes, it's hot outside," said Beal. "That's why you see in the videos the ice, to make sure they (the dogs) have nice cool water all the time."
She reiterated all dogs have buckets of water staff is cleaning constantly. They walk them early in the morning or in the evening.
"We can't keep them all in Doral, under the AC and the brand new facility," added Beal.
Several years ago, Animal Services opened a new air-conditioned main facility in Doral, the one in Medley was used for overflow.
"Our normal capacity in Doral is about 350 dogs. Right now, we have more than 650 dogs, almost double," said Beal, explaining that is the reason why 150 dogs are at the Medley location.
"I think that the best way that people can help is by creating awareness and adopting," reiterated Beal.
This Saturday, May 18th, Miami-Dade Animal Services will host a Love's Full Bloom adoption event at its shelter in Medley, located at 7401 N.W. 74th Street.
Adoption fees will be waived for pets four months and older. The event will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.