Line Of Pets Surrendered At Animal Shelter Is 2-1/2 Hours Long, Staff Overwhelmed

An animal shelter deep in the heart of Texas cannot keep up with all of the pets being dropped off at their facility. Shockingly, the line to surrender a pet was two and a half hours long.

“If people can’t wait or don’t want to wait they tying them up to a tree and leaving or abandoning them in a box in our parking lot,” the shelter wrote on a Facebook update accompanied by a video of the sad situation.

Source: Harris County Animal Shelter/Facebook

The general maximum capacity for animals at Harris County Animal Shelter is 200 pets, which are usually dogs. At present, there are 530 animals in total in-house.

The most common reasons the shelter heard for animals being surrendered run the gamut from lifestyle changes and more.

Source: Harris County Animal Shelter/Facebook

“Moving, landlord will not allow, can no longer afford,” Kerry McKeel, spokesperson for the shelter, told The Dodo. “Some people also simply say that they no longer want the pet or that they found the pet.”

Municipal shelters are required to take animals in regardless of temperament, health situation, or breed. Summer is usually a time when intakes rise at this shelter.

Source: Harris County Animal Shelter/Facebook

One man “drug SIX dogs into the shelter with his 10-year-old son, surrendering them because they were ‘moving,'” Urgent Shelter Pets Houston wrote in a Facebook post. “All of which could have been avoided had their dog likely been spayed/neutered from the beginning.”

You can help by visiting the shelter’s website and watching the video below for more information.

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There is a 2 1/2 hr wait today to surrender an animal at Harris County Animal Shelter. That is how many animals we are receiving! If people can’t wait or don’t want to wait they tying them up to a tree and leaving or abandoning them in a box in our parking lot. We are now at 534 animals in care! There are 5-6 animals to a kennel. We need your support to maintain a 90% lifesaving rate.Please adopt, foster or tag for rescue. Help us, help them.We are open weekdays from 1pm-5:30pm and weekends from 11am-4pm.If you are a Houston or Harris County resident and can foster for 2-3 weeks, please email foster@phs.hctx.net.

Posted by Harris County Animal Shelter on Tuesday, June 25, 2019


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