SIOUX FALLS. S.D. (KELO) — An animal shelter in eastern KELOLAND needs dog adopters.

Spending time with shelter animals is one of the best parts of the job for Samantha Wahl.

She’s part of the kennel staff at the Sioux Falls Area Humane Society.

“We come in as early as 5:00 in the morning and get right to work making sure everyone gets clean. That can take up to five hours because of the amount of animals we have,” Kennel lead Samantha Wahl said.

Right now, there are lots of animals, including dogs.

While the shelter has seen strong adoption numbers over the past two weeks, it’s taken in more animals than it’s adopted out.

Executive director James Oppenheimer says the shelter is close to capacity for dogs.

“If we get over 127 then we start using drop kennels or mobile kennels. The conditions there are not quite as good for the animals. There’s a smaller space for them. It’s not as pleasant for them,” Oppenheimer said.

Keep in mind, when animals show up here at the humane society, they’re not ready for adoption immediately, so the animals you see on the website are just a fraction of the animals the humane society is caring for.

But by adopting you can help free up space for more animals in need of loving homes.

“I can tell you all of these animals are very lovable. We have all types of animals with different personalities, so we need people to come find the one that fits them the best and take them home,” Wahl said.

The humane society also needs monetary donations.

On average, it costs about $340 to house an animal at the shelter for 19 days.

To donate or adopt, click here.