Animal Welfare League Closed To Public Due To Illness Outbreak
KOSCIUSKO — The Animal Welfare League of Kosciusko County is closed to the public until further notice due to a parvo outbreak at the shelter.
According to a Facebook post made on the Animal Welfare League’s page by Executive Director Katey Wilks Zemen on Saturday, Jan. 12, the shelter is closed to the public and will reopen within one to three weeks. In a post made today, Jan. 16, the animal shelter said it hopes to reopen on Jan. 29.
The parvovirus is a highly contagious virus that can affect all dogs. Parvo affects canines’ gastrointestinal tracts and is typically spread by direct contact with infected dogs.
According to a statement from Wilks Zemen, part of the shelter has been sectioned off to house the few dogs exposed to the virus. The AWL has also acquired two power washers and is completing a deep cleaning process every day for two weeks.
“In addition to the increase in our cleaning process, we are partnering with a special Board of Directors ad-hoc committee to identify long-term protocols we can incorporate into our current shelter,” said Wilks Zemen.
Due to the virus, the shelter is not accepting any animals other than those brought in by Animal Care and Control. The shelter asks that if community members find a stray animal to contact Animal Care and Control at (574) 372-9511 for the city of Warsaw and (574) 267-5667 for Kosciusko County.
Wilks Zemen said the shelter’s top priority is the health and wellness of all the animals currently in the shelter’s care.
“We do need blankets and towels, as a majority of the ones in-house had to be destroyed,” said Wilks Zemen. “We like to give our animals a warm blanket or bedding every day.”
The public can also donate to the AWL’s New Shelter GoFundMe page or directly to the shelter’s current operating budget to help provide financial assistance for the animals during the outbreak.