COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. --- A lot of love and effort goes into caring for the animals at the Susquehanna SPCA. The shelter is also reporting that donation numbers are increasing during the health crisis.

"People are reaching out saying for a long time, I've wanted an animal to add to our family but I just didn't have time well now I do. So they're reaching out and they're adopting and it's wonderful," said Executive Director Stacie Haynes.

Haynes said adoptions have gone up 11 percent since the first of the year. Fostering has gone up over 30 percent.

"So typically almost everything that we do is here at the shelter. But that's not really possible to keep moving forward in the same speed that we've always have, we need help. And we need to reach out to people who can foster. So folks that are able to take them into their home because they are fostering, are teaching them to walk on a leash, they're teaching them to be house trained," said Stacie Haynes.

The shelter is also increasing its cleaning. The shelter purchased about 6 months' worth of "Rescue", a pet-friendly sanitizer designed to kill diseases and viruses such as COVID-19.

"So at the beginning of March, we kind of projected what was going to happen. So we ordered enough for like 6 months. It might not last us 6 months because we are doing more so than what we did in the past so now we are spraying down door handles, tables, chairs," said Haynes.

Social distancing restrictions also forced the shelter to make cuts to staff temporarily. Some of the shelter's part-time employee's volunteered to be laid off. Those volunteers were workers that could not work from home. Haynes said that there are staff members that are working from home.

In terms of supporting the shelter, Haynes said supply and monetary donations are needed more than ever. Even though the adoption numbers are increasing, Haynes said animals are in need of now more than ever. If you want to learn more on how you can contribute, you can visit their website.