Special Report: Canine Crisis

• Gift of a pet needs extra consideration

  Adopting a pet is not necessarily a bad idea, but those who do so need to carefully consider their decision, according to experts. If owners don’t take the proper precautions, those pets can often end up back in the shelter.

• Story has happy ending for some abandoned dogs

  As the number of abandoned pets increases in the county, shelter workers have to work harder to make sure the dogs that are suited for adoption find a home.

• Humane Society offers many plans to find homes for pets

  For Laura Hawbecker, a shelter worker in Clark County, finding a home for a dog that has been lost or abandoned is what makes the often difficult job worthwhile.

• Once in shelter, dogs evaluated for adoption

  As the economy continued to struggle over the last two years, shelter workers at the Humane Society Serving Clark County Inc.

• Animal abandonment cases skyrocketing

  Nearly every week, Mickey Morgan and her staff receive calls from clients who have found animals abandoned in yards and in foreclosed homes throughout the city.

• Fleas, skin problems common in dogs that are abandoned

  After responding to calls of abandoned dogs nearly every day for three years, Charles Crislip said he believes most people do not want to abandon their pets.

• Once abandoned, dogs face difficult obstacles

  In three years serving as a dog warden for the Humane Society Serving Clark County, Inc., Charles Crislip has seen dozens of dogs abandoned in backyards, along county roads and inside deserted homes.