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Source: Albuquerque Journal, N.迷你倉尖沙咀M.Dec. 20--Albuquerque's animal shelters are so crowded that the city has asked people to stop surrendering their pets until space is available.Or better yet: Don't surrender the animal at all -- either find a new home for the critter on your own or try again to make the situation work."We really don't want to go back to the days of killing adoptable animals for space," department head Barbara Bruin said in an interview. "We're asking people not to surrender their own pet unless it's a last resort."The city shelters now house about 1,000 animals, or 200 more than capacity, she said. That means dogs are doubled up in cages, among other temporary measures.As an emergency move last weekend, the city shelters asked people who showed up to surrender dogs to get on a waiting list until a cage is available, Bruin said. The city will do that in the future, too, to manage the population when needed, she said."Most people have been very nice about it," Bruin said. "A couple have even changed their minds about surrendering their pets."The crunch has hit privately run shelters, too, leaving the city with no easy place to transfer animals.Peggy Weigle, executive director of Animal Humane New Mexico, said that to help, her group added a section to its website allowing people to advertise their unwanted pets. The goal is to find homes for the animals before they end up in the shelter at all, she said."We have to provide the best care for the pets that are here," Weigle said. "If we get overcrowded, we can't do that."Animal Humane still accepts pets in emergencies or if they're strays, she said.But the group also wants to help solve problems so that people reconsider the need to give up their petmini storage. Animal Humane offers a free animal-behavior help line at 505-938-7900.Weigle and Bruin said decreased euthanasia rates have contributed to overcrowding. They don't want to put down animals who are healthy and adoptable.The city has euthanized about 3,200 animals so far this year, or 24 percent fewer than last year at the same point. Animals are euthanized for medical reasons -- if they're sick or suffering -- or when behavior problems make them unadoptable, according to the city.The shaky economy is also a factor in shelter overcrowding, Weigle said."People are losing their homes, moving in with family members," she said.Bruin said some people surrender their pets for frivolous reasons or think they're not a lifetime commitment.People who want to adopt can visit cabq.gov/pets or the city shelters themselves."We have a lot of animals on our website," Bruin said. People "can also come in and see all the sweet little faces. We have wonderful animals who deserve wonderful homes." HOW YOU CAN HELPPeople who want to adopt can see profiles of available pets at cabq.gov/pets or animalhumanenm.org.The Animal Humane New Mexico website offers space for people who have an animal for which they're trying to find a new home. Look under "Owned pets available for adoption."Before giving up your pet, you can get free advice from Animal Humane on how to solve behavior problems. Call 505-938-7900 or send a message to behaviorhelpline@ animalhumanenm.org.The city offers gift certificates to give as presents if you want to help someone else adopt.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 the Albuquerque Journal (Albuquerque, N.M.) Visit the Albuquerque Journal (Albuquerque, N.M.) at .abqjournal.com Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉