Animal shelter combats overcrowding
Bastrop County Animal Control on Saturday seized three dogs and three cats from a home in Cedar Creek, none of which had received food or water in what appeared to be several days, officials said.
The animals were taken to the Bastrop County Animal Shelter, which is struggling with overcrowding at the start of summer. Shelter Director Ashley Hermans said it’s the busiest time of the year.
Spring and summer are birthing seasons for puppies and kittens. For a while now, with all the new litters, the shelter has been brimming over capacity. There are about 130 dogs in the shelter’s 90 kennels, Hermans said.
“A lot of cats are having kittens and dogs are having puppies — and people are bringing them to the shelter,” she said. “We are doing the best we can to keep up with the influx.”
The overcrowding has prompted the shelter to hold half-price adoption specials through the end of the month.
Prospective owners can purchase dogs for $37.50 and cats for $22.50. All are spayed or neutered, vaccinated and dewormed. A full list of animals available for adoption can be found on the county’s website.
Additionally, the shelter runs a seniorfor-senior special year-round. Anyone older than 50 can adopt a dog older than 5 for free. Deals are also available for active military and veterans, Hermans said.
The shelter is open Wednesday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for adoptions.
Finding good homes for adopted dogs and cats is the short-term solution, Hermans said. The long-term solution is to increase spay and neuter services throughout the county to help control the pet population. Currently, there aren’t many options for low-cost surgeries, Hermans said. Emancipet visits the shelter once a month and Smithville and Elgin quarterly. Otherwise, pet owners must dish out the money for a veterinarian or set up an appointment with Emancipet in Austin.
Hermans hopes a new surgical suite planned at the Bastrop shelter will improve access to services soon.
Until the shelter can find good homes for all the animals, it relies on rescue services and foster parents to help ease overcrowding.
“Physically we cannot house as many animals that are coming in,” Hermans said. “And the problem is everybody is full, whether it’s Lockhart, Williamson County, Austin. Everyone is at maximum capacity. We are all trying to do the best that we can for the animals.”