The Animal Refuge Center (ARC) is a private, nonprofit organization and animal welfare sanctuary located in North Fort Myers, Florida. Their mission is to provide education to the community about the needs and care of animals, and to raise public awareness of the importance of sterilization. ARC prohibits the killing of animals and strives to find a good fit for families looking for pets. The Gulf Coast Humane Society is another 501(c) organization located in Southwest Florida that was established in 1947. They are dedicated to finding homes for animals and do not kill animals.
The Lee County Sheriff's Office's Community Programs Unit has partnered with ARC to pair “doomed to death” dogs with carefully selected inmates. This program has been successful in reducing the number of animals entering shelters over time. The McCauley shelter neuters or spays every dog it has, and helps other shelters with help from Lee County Pet Services and others. In Lee County, the Cape Coral Animal Shelter and the Gulf Coast Humane Society are mainly pet delivery centers. Last year, 8,695 pets went to Pet Services, 6,673 of which were saved, including 3,369 dogs and 3,304 cats, representing a savings rate of around 76.75%.Florida politicians have taken steps to get to the root of the problem by banning regulations that prohibit the size or species of pets for individuals or families from public accommodations.
This has helped reduce the number of animals entering shelters. So, do animal shelters in Lee County, Florida offer behavioral training for adopted animals? The answer is yes! The Animal Refuge Center (ARC) offers behavioral training for adopted animals as part of their mission to provide education to the community about the needs and care of animals. The Gulf Coast Humane Society also offers behavioral training for adopted animals as part of their mission to find homes for animals.