Strep zoo first appeared at PSPCA's West Hunting Park Avenue facility last June, when six dogs died of the bacterial infection. Although officials thought they'd eradicated the bug, it's back, and it took the life of another dog last month.
Rather than chancing it, the PSPCA has decided to treat all of the dogs preventatively and move them out so a massive cleaning and disinfection effort can take place. The plan is to move the current population into their East Erie storage garage facility for the time being. The problem is, the dogs will not be moved back to the West Hunting Park Avenue facility. Although the current population is asymptomatic, the population break (separating current animals from incoming) is necessary as a secondary precaution to stop the bug in its tracks.
More info, more info, and even more info.
So, moving the dogs to the East Erie facility's storage garage and cleaning the West Hunting Park Avenue facility to reopen it to new animals means they'll essentially have two facilities in East Erie (temporarily) along with the one on West Hunting Park Avenue. They will not have additional staff to tend to the animals. Often, a shelter would have to euthanize their animals rather than do what PSPCA is attempting - they want to keep their dogs and find them homes - foster or permanent - and they're asking for help from wherever they can get it.
If you know of anyone who is willing to foster or ready to adopt, contact the PSPCA! They have literally hundreds of dogs who need your help!
