Animal shelter calls on college students for help

TROY, Ala. (TROJANVISION) — Amid months filled with back-to-back emergency rescue cases, Troy Animal Rescue Project, or TARP, is calling on the community’s help now more than ever before.

Tuesday afternoon, the Student Athlete Advisory Committee and TARP brought puppies to campus to meet students.

“We have high intake numbers of dogs,” said Kayleigh White, TARP manager. “We have over 250 at our rescue center alone that does no include fosters.”

With that many dogs in intake, volunteers said it becomes nearly impossible to socialize them all. That is where is college students come in.

“Our dogs get socialization,” said White. “They get to meet new people and be introduced to new people. It gets them out of the center and gets them destressed. We can also achieve to get volunteers at our center or even fosters. “

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Over the summer, TARP took on both a hoarding case and a breeding case. The hoarding case left them with the care of around 100 dogs and the breeding with 26 more. Now, TARP is in dire need of fosters.

“A lot of these college students have dogs at their home-home, so whenever they come to college they can be homesick, dog-sick, miss their family and stuff,” said Delaney Wells, assistant soccer coach. “Just being able to have these dogs in your home in Troy is just a good experience.”

There are also opportunities for international students to help.

“Being international I can’t really adopt any pets or anything,” said Gabrielle Chartire, an international student. “But having the ability to go foster is really great cause every time I go home I can just bring back the dog. “

Volunteer opportunities range from taking puppies out for the day to fostering and adopting. For more information on how to help, go to troyanimalrescueproject.org.

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