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Between January 1 and June 28 of this year, 229 dogs and cats were relinquished to the City of Salem Animal Shelter. That’s 29 more than were surrendered during that same time span in 2010, and 71 more than 2009.

“A big [reason] is they just can’t afford to take care of them anymore,” said shelter director Rebecca Custer. “We try to go over their situation to prevent them having to give up their pets.”

Sometimes they call veterinarians for second opinions or to ask about alternative medications or treatments. They’ve been known to negotiate weight limits with landlords, too.  If it’s a behavioral issue, some local dog trainers offer discounts to folks who adopt through the Salem shelter.

There’s even a low cost spay and neuter clinic, Mountain View Humane in Christiansburg, that routinely picks up creatures at the Salem Animal Shelter for operations in the morning and brings them back home later in the day.

“You don’t have to be embarrassed” to ask for help, she said. “We really don’t want to take your animals. We want to keep them in your home.”

Salem has nine stray dog cages and 15 cages for dog adoption. They have 20 stray cat cages and 16 cages for cat adoption. As of Tuesday, June 28, they were all full. When those fill up, the dog or cat that’s been at the shelter the longest is up for euthanization next in order to make room for incoming adoptees.

(Check out the photos of Karma the cat and Biscuit the dog in the photo set above)

Facebook and Salem’s cable channel 17 have been a big help in finding homes for creatures that have been at the shelter the longest, Custer said, and she hopes to add more photos and video to entice future pet parents to come by and adopt.

The shelter is hoping that two new projects will give its animals more much-needed attention.

-Salem’s dog park, a project funded by the public, is in the works to be open later this summer or fall. It’s adjacent to the Salem Animal Shelter on Indiana Street and the pound puppies will be able to play there.

-A volunteer program for the Salem Animal Shelter is in the works. To get on the list, call the shelter at 375-3038 and provide your name and phone number.

The cost to adopt at Salem’s shelter is $30, and the city offers $28 coupons to city of Salem residents towards the spay/neuter of any unfixed pet.

For more information, visit www.salempets.org or find them on Facebook at “City of Salem Animal Shelter”