Like many other Houston area animal shelters and adoption centers, Houston Humane Society is over capacity and looking for those interested in adopting or fostering to relieve its overcrowding.
The organization is hosting the “Clear the Shelters” campaign until August 31 to reduce its animal population.
Adoption fees are discounted by 50 percent or fully waived if the adopted animal has been at the shelter for three months or more, said Macey Kohne-Sanchez, assistant marketing manager for the Houston Humane Society.
“Houston is in a really bad spot right now, where there isn’t anywhere that someone who cannot care for their pet or does not want their pet anymore can go and drop it off safely,” she said. “That is why we’re seeing a lot more animals tied to doors or left at adoption centers or in parking lots.
According to Kohne-Sanchez, the Humane Society took in 304 animals over the past 30 days that were either owner-surrenders, rescued from cruelty cases, abandoned at its facility or transferred from other shelters that could not care for them.
With more animals coming in than leaving, she said the facility currently houses over 500 animals.
Although the shelter’s capacity limit is not fixed and varies based on the number of reliable fosters and adoptions, it has to stop intakes and turn away agencies it partners with when it starts filling up.
“We have to continue to have space to continue to be a safe place for animals in our community that have nowhere else to go,” Kohne-Sanchez said. “If our capacity stays full, then we have to slow down on the efforts we are constantly developing to keep our community safe. That’s never ideal, and that’s not what we want.”
The longer stays that contribute to stagnant overcrowding are the larger dogs that are more difficult to get adopted out, she said. “It’s a lot harder to convince someone that they should take home an adult rather than a puppy,” she added.
Kohne-Sanchez said for those that may not be ready to adopt, fostering is always an option that is suggested and allows the shelter to have more short-term space available for intakes. People who want to help out the Humane Society can also donate to the foster wish list, as the organization provides supplies to those taking in animals.
The “Clear the Shelters” campaign will be ongoing every day from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. until the end of the month at the Houston Humane Society, 14700 Almeda.
For more information, visit the Houston Humane Society’s “Clear the Shelters” Webpage.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2023.
