Hempstead animal shelter offers bilingual information

Hempstead Town officials will now offer bilingual documents at the town animal shelter in Wantagh.

Town Clerk Sylvia Cabana said that 20 percent of town residents are Spanish speaking and the town will now offer all public documents and information in English and Spanish. The bilingual forms have the potential to serve 160,000 Spanish-speaking residents among the town’s population of 800,000 people.

The town has translated dozens of documents, including what to do if your pet is lost, adoption applications and surrender forms for pets at the shelter, Cabana said.

“This initiative has the potential to increase adoptions at the shelter, which is a benefit to everyone,” Hempstead Councilwoman Erin King Sweeney said. “Those who speak Spanish may have been hesitant to go and adopt a pet from the shelter previously but now, with language barriers torn down, they may be more likely to come and adopt a new member of the family at the Town of Hempstead Animal Shelter.”