Puppies for adoption
Over a four-day period in June, 266 animals found a temporary home at the Fort Worth Animal Shelter, causing the shelter to become overpopulated.
Without the threat of inclement winter weather, animal populations in Texas increase greatly in the spring to early summer months, straining the resources of local shelters. And those that service Fort Worth are no exception.
“This time of year is really puppy and kitten season,” Dr. Tim Morton, a veterinarian and assistant director of Fort Worth Animal Care & Control, says.
According to Morton, many owners forfeit animals during the summer because people are moving and can’t always take their pets with them.
The Humane Society of North Texas takes in 40 to 150 animals a day and has been at capacity since the beginning of the year. To help ease the strain, the HSNT relocates many animals to shelters in northern states not suffering from overpopulation.
“We are doing everything we can to get these pets into homes,” Cassie Lackey, Humane Society of North Texas’ director of communications, says.
The HSNT helped 11,311 pets find homes last year — breaking its yearly adoption record — and is on track to break the record again this year.
Despite this success, the HSNT encourages people to volunteer with its many programs, such as Rae of Hope, a monthly program that helps senior citizens with pet care.
“The volunteers become the heartbeat,” Lackey says. “They become the advocates of the animals.”
The Fort Worth Animal Shelter also has programs it encourages. The newly created “Slumber Parties” and “Out and About” programs allow people to take a dog home for just a night or an afternoon without making a full-time commitment.
“Lots of great things are happening for pets in the city of Fort Worth right now, both here at the shelter and with the Humane Society,” Morton said. “What we need is just for everyone to get involved and make it that much better.”
To help solve the overpopulation, the shelters teamed up to host a “Mega Adoption Event” at the Will Rogers Memorial Center on June 29 and 30. The last Mega Adoption they hosted resulted in 800 pets finding homes.
“I love what we do,” Lackey said. “The animal movement here is incredible.”
To help or make a donation, visit hsnt.org.
