Hawkins Humane Society Needs Boost In Adoptions To Offset Surge In Pet Abandonment

ROGERSVILLE — Anyone who adopts a pet from the Hawkins County Humane Society in April will receive a free portrait from a professional photographer, a perk that hopefully will reduce the shelter's overcrowded dog and cat population. HCHS assistant manager Emily Christie told the Times-News on Wednesday that the shelter has seen a drastic increase recently in animal abandonment. In one recent case, four 6-month-old hounds were abandoned by their owners, who moved away and left the dogs in a kennel with no food or water. Luckily, the dogs were saved in time by the HCHS, and now they are at the shelter awaiting adoption Two other puppies were abandoned recently at a residence with "No Trespassing" and "Beware of the Dog" signs, so neighbors were hesitant to go onto the property to get the dogs. The HCHS was able to catch one of those puppies, a 10-week old shepherd mix.