Future looks brighter for homeless pets
Grants will help fund low-cost clinic and out-of-state transfers
A couple of puppies wait for adoption at the Harris County Animal Shelter on Thursday. New grants totaling $750,000 will help the shelter transfer more stray animals to Colorado and other parts of the country with greater demands for adoptable pets.
Harris County plans to ship hundreds of stray dogs each month to Colorado and other parts of the country as part of its ongoing effort to handle a significant stray animal problem.
The move comes from a combination of grants this month, totaling almost $750,000. About $500,000 will help the county pay for a wellness clinic where residents can get low-cost services such as vaccinations and flea control. The remainder will help the county ship more stray dogs to states with greater demands for adoptable pets.
“These things are aimed at decreasing intake as well as getting animals out of the shelter,” said Michael White, director of veterinary public health for the county.
The county in recent years has increased its efforts to address a stray animal problem that observers and advocates have said raises serious animal welfare and public health concerns.
For at least a decade, the Harris County shelter has struggled with an influx of about 25,000 animals each year, far more than the 12,000 it was designed for. In 2016, the shelter saw roughly 20,000 animals, White said. It euthanized about 15 percent of those animals — down from roughly 85 percent in 2012.
Reduced adoption fees
The county credits the decrease in euthanisia rates to reducing fees for adopting pets, instituting a “mobile adoption” program whereby a trailer takes adoptable pets to different parts of the county, and eliminating fees for organizations looking to rescue animals from the shelter, among other reasons.
A survey of Houston-area households conducted by the University of Texas School of Public Health found “stray dogs and cats” to be the most frequent neighborhood problem reported by residents surveyed, beating out crime, drinking water and dumping, among other issues.
In 2015, voters approved a $24 million bond measure for a revamped shelter with more space, a public education arm to promote responsible pet ownership and a dedicated center for pet adoption. Construction of the new shelter is expected to begin later this year.
Last year, Harris County Judge Ed Emmett held a summit of county and Houston city leaders, along with animal welfare organizations, to address what Emmett called the region’s “outrageous” problem with stray animals and address jurisdictional issues.
The county and the city both held free spay and neuter events in February, and a representative from Emmett’s office was appointed a liaison between the city and county to better coordinate efforts.
The county plans on having another animal summit later this year.
New vet to be hired
The grants announced this month were awarded by nonprofit Houston PetSet, which raises money and helps support animal welfare efforts in Greater Houston, and Jan Duncan, who sits on the nonprofit’s advisory board. The money is still being transferred to the county, and the initiatives likely will take effect in the coming months, White said.
At the clinic, the money will help the county hire a new veterinarian and support staff and buy more vaccines and other supplies for roughly one year.
The grants also will help the county ship 250 to 300 dogs each month to Colorado and other northern states for about one year. The county currently transports about one-tenth of that number.
The county would pay nonprofit group Rescued Pets Movement to conduct the transport.
The county also is working to build a new “transfer facility” at its shelter in north Houston, which could increase the number of pets transferred out and lower the number euthanized.
The city’s Bureau of Animal Regulation and Care also has employed a similar approach. In 2013, it began an effort to transfer 50 dogs and cats a week from Houston’s overburdened public animal shelter to nonprofits and adoptive homes in Colorado.
Ashtyn Rivet, a spokeswoman for BARC, said since the initiative began in 2013, 20,000 animals have been transported to Colorado, and it continues to transport hundreds of dogs and cats each month.