Photo Provided Belmont County Hoof & Paw’s overcrowding issue has the humane organization looking for people to adopt or foster its 27 dogs.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — Belmont County Hoof & Paw is looking for people to adopt its 27 dogs because of overcrowding at the kennels.

The humane organization is unable to accept any more dogs due to the crowded condition of the animals. The group has accumulated 27 dogs over the years, most from 2024 cases, that are ready to be adopted into forever or foster homes.

Six German shepherds, five Labradoodle puppies, a beagle and several pit bulls are ready to be adopted.

People can adopt a dog by emailing bchp911@gmail.com. Hoof & Paw will then send an application designed to ensure: there is no criminal background of violence by the applicant; that any landlord involved is OK with dogs being on the premises; and that the dog will have access to veterinary care, food, water and shelter.

Hoof and Paw also does reference checks.

If someone is looking to foster instead of adopt, email Hoof & Paw or call 610-314-5203 to receive a foster application for the dog to go into a normal home environment until it finds its permanent home.

There is an adjustment period for dogs in new settings, but less of an adjustment period if they go from one individual home to another, according to Humane Agent Julie Larish. She added that when a dog goes from kennel life to an individual home, it is harder for the dog to adjust.

“So we would love to have fosters that are able to take them and basically teach them how to be a dog and in a home so that they can transition easier into their permanent homes,” she said.

Larish said she believes every dog deserves a loving home. She said dogs housed by Hoof & Paw have come out of the worst kinds of homes, but they’ve all been brought back to health.

The organization’s biggest problem is overcrowding and not getting the dogs socialized the way they need to be in a home.

Larish said more education needs to be done about owning a dog. The organization is implementing stopgap management for people trying to keep dogs in their home who are having trouble due to lack of access to veterinary care or dog food.

People in a lot of the places Hoof & Paw visits are not educated on proper care of a dog or what could go wrong with someone’s dog that is making them lose weight, Larish said. The organization tries to educate people so the dogs can stay in their homes, but in extreme cases it’s necessary to find another place for the dogs, Larish said.

Larish has two dogs in her own home that belong in the kennel system because the space is too crowded.

Hoof & Paw is also looking for kennels to be donated. Its funding is going strictly for veterinary care and food, and Larish said the organization does not have money to add more kennels.

Getting the dogs adopted would allow Hoof & Paw to investigate more complaints regarding abused or neglected dogs and bring them in to get them healthy.

Currently, the organization is not setting a price on its adoptions; instead, it is asking for a donation.

Hoof & Paw has a Giving Tree called Furever Giving at McCormick’s in Glen Dale. It features ornaments that have a picture of a dog on the front and give a biography of the dog on the back. People can pick dogs they like and donate treats, a toy or food for them. People can also make monetary donations that can be left at McCormick’s.

Larish said she believes all dogs deserve a home, and the ones the group has now have had the worst life with some even having been at death’s door. She said dogs love their owners who save them because they know they’re getting a meal and that the person is doing their best to keep them warm and safe.

“They really deserve that love in their final chapters,” Larish said. “And that chapter might be a long chapter, but they deserve that final chapter. And that one person that’s sitting on the ledge, ‘Should I or should I not?’ needs to understand that these dogs know that they’re being saved. They are so loving because of that.”