<http://schema.org/articleBody>
"There is no room left at Albuquerque animal shelters, and for the first time, cats and dogs are being turned away.Dogs young, old, big and small are all looking for a home, but good homes are few and far between.\"Each shelter has roughly 500 animals. That's really over capacity,\" said Dr. Nicole Vigil, a senior veterinarian for the city of Albuquerque animal shelters. \"We're asking any citizen who wants to surrender or relinquish a pet to join a waiting list.\"Waiting is the only option. Every dog kennel is taken up, and nearly every cage in the cat ward is occupied, as well. A few compartments are still available, but Vigil says right now they're for emergencies only.If residents have to absolutely get rid of an animal, Vigil said the shelter will take them in. Most pet owners, however, will be asked to work with the shelter. They'll be offered free food and free spay or neuter, if that will keep a pet in its original home.\"What we're asking is the citizens of Albuquerque help us,\" she said.Citizens like Tony Lucero. When a stray wandered into his yard a few days ago, Lucero told KOAT Action 7 News he thought for a moment about handing her over to a shelter but decided to keep her.\"She's a real friendly dog, has a lot of life in her, don't want to see her euthanized,\" Lucero said.Now \"Lucky\" is going to be a part of his home.\u00A0It's a story that Vigil hopes she'll hear again and again, so the kennels will begin to open up."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.koat.com/article/albuquerque-animal-shelters-turning-pets-away/5053125>