Rogue Valley residents aren’t just reaching out to help their neighbors during the coronavirus crisis, they are lending a helping hand to dogs and cats.

The Jackson County Animal Shelter is staying open for adoptions but limiting the number of people in the building at one time.

“We are wanting people to adopt our animals because we’re wanting to keep our shelter from filling up so we have space for stray animals that may need to come to us,” said manager Barbara Talbert.

The social distancing strategies at the shelter haven’t stopped residents from coming in to adopt homeless cats and dogs — or from opening their hearts and homes to temporarily foster a pet.

“We had several people who had never fostered step up and offer to foster when they heard we could use that type of help,” Talbert said.

As the nation responds to the COVID-19 pandemic, conditions and public health guidelines are changing on a day-by-day and sometimes hour-by-hour basis.

So far, the shelter has enough trained regular volunteers on hand to keep up with duties like dog walking and kennel cleaning, Talbert said.

“There may come a time when we have to put out a plea for more people to help with that,” she said.

The Southern Oregon Humane Society closed to the public March 17 as precaution to reduce the community spread of the COVID-19 virus.

SoHumane now plans to resume adoptions, but by appointment only.

For now, SoHumane has suspended its road trips to bring shelter animals from other regions to the Rogue Valley to meet demand for certain pets. The organization is focused on helping local people find new homes for their pets due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic fall-out, SoHumane Operations Manager Ryan Johnson said Friday.

Some services for pets and owners have halted.

Veterinarians have been asked to postpone elective procedures to save medical supplies for health care providers serving people.

The Jackson County Animal Shelter canceled a low-cost pet vaccination clinic that had been scheduled for Saturday because the event was expected to draw a large number of people.

Experts have fielded questions about whether it’s still safe to visit dog parks. While human beings should keep a distance from each other, it’s probably OK to keep petting dogs, including the dogs of other people playing at dog parks, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association.

There’s little evidence that dogs can catch the COVID-19 virus and infect humans.

The virus can stay alive up to three days on smooth, hard surfaces under laboratory conditions, but porous materials like pet fur tend to absorb and trap pathogens, making it harder to contract the virus by touch, AVMA Chief Veterinary Officer Gail Golab said.

Dog parks always harbor pathogens found in dog feces, so people should wash their hands after petting dogs, throwing tennis balls and picking up after Fido.

Dog walking remains a healthy activity that helps people get outside in the fresh air, exercise, boost their spirits, combat cabin fever and beat social isolation. Just remember to stay a healthy distance away from any humans who cross your path. Snuggling with a cat on your lap is also a proven stress-buster.

Concern about the possibility of dogs catching coronavirus spread among pet owners worldwide after a 17-year-old Pomeranian in China tested “weakly” positive for the coronavirus. The dog also tested negative several times. The Pomeranian never showed signs of the illness, but it did die after returning home from quarantine. The dog was very elderly and had underlying health conditions, veterinary experts said.

Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert, told CNN Health the virus is now in humans but data shows it’s not spreading among pets.

“This is the time to hug your pet but not your human loved one,” Schaffner said. “So let’s keep the social distancing focused on human beings, and if you need to hug something, hug your dog or your cat or ferret or whatever.”