Fort Bend County Pets Takes Bold Steps to Combat Overcrowding Crisis: How You Can Help
The Fort Bend County Animal Shelter has announced a temporary halt to intake at their facility effective April 15, 2024. The decision is a response to unprecedented overcrowding, with the shelter currently operating at over 250% of its capacity. This proactive measure is designed to ensure the health and safety of all animals currently in their care, while affording staff the opportunity to devote full resources to those pets.
Despite the closure, the shelter continues to offer essential services including assistance for injured or immobilized animals, animal cruelty investigations, and their commendable Fort Bend County Pets’ Finder to Foster program.
To combat this crisis, the shelter is appealing to local rescue organizations. Incentives are being offered for rescues willing to take on dogs from the overcrowded shelter. Thanks to Fort Bend PAWS, rescues receive $100 per rescued dog, whether it be a regular, medical, or senior dog (7 years and up), rescues will receive a contribution of $150. These efforts aim to alleviate stress on the shelter and create more loving homes for these animals.
Zeus, a shelter dog at Fort Bend County Animal Services, preparing to depart the shelter with his new forever family earlier this month. (Source: FBCAS)The Finder to Foster program has also been a crucial asset during this testing time. This initiative encourages community members who find strays to bring them into the program, where you act as a foster while the shelter covers the pet's basic medical needs and aids in finding their forever home. This collaboration helps strays find families while relieving the burden on the already overwhelmed shelter.
Another addition to this program allows the shelter to assist with accidental litters, ensuring that the parent animals are spayed/neutered to prevent future litters and that the babies find homes. This intervention helps to stop the cycle, lessening the pressure on the shelter and the community’s stray population.
One of the most meaningful ways to help with the overcrowding crisis at the Fort Bend County Animal Shelter is to adopt a pet. The shelter’s easy adoption program helps you plan with clear, age-based fees, making it simpler for you to welcome a new furry friend into your home. For dogs under 6 months, the cost is $80. From 7 months to 5 years, the fee is $40, and for those over 5 years, it's a mere $20. Cat lovers can adopt kittens under 6 months for $40, or choose a feline friend between 7 months and 5 years old for $20. Senior cats aged 5 years and above can be adopted for only $10.
Visit the Fort Bend County Pets website today to view the adoptable pets who need your love and support. Prospective pet owners are encouraged to "adopt, not shop" and help these companions transition from shelter life to a comfortable home with their forever family.
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Tiffany Krenek has been on the My Neighborhood News team since August 2021. She is passionate about curating and sharing content that enriches the lives of our readers in a personal, meaningful way. A loving mother and wife, Tiffany and her family live in the West Houston/Cypress region.
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