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DALLAS - Dallas Animal Services (DAS) is out of medium and large dog kennels and is in urgent need of adopters and fosters as hundreds more pets are expected to arrive by the end of this week.
“Our daily animal intake is increasing steadily, but our adoption and foster numbers are not keeping pace,” said DAS Interim Director MeLissa Webber. “As a result, our shelter is filling up faster than we can rehome pets, creating an unstainable gap in lifesaving. If we do not get help from our community now, we will be forced to make difficult space decisions in the coming days.”
To prevent the euthanasia of healthy, friendly dogs DAS is urging the community to adopt or foster a medium or large dog this week. All pets are currently free to adopt; are spayed/neutered, vaccinated and microchipped; and come with a voucher for a free veterinary visit. DAS offers online adoptions with curbside pet pick up through BeDallas90.org, onsite in-person pop-up adoption events, adoptions at its PetSmart Everyday Adoption Center on North Coit Road in North Dallas, and on Wednesday DAS will begin welcoming visitors inside its main shelter on Westmoreland Road to view pets and complete adoptions in person.
In Fiscal Year 2020 (October 2019 – September 2020), DAS surpassed its 90% live release rate goal – the highest in its history – while taking in 22,812 cats and dogs. Right now, the live release rate for cats and dogs for Fiscal Year 2021 is at 88.8%, but DAS is confident that with increased community support, they can once again achieve the 90% milestone.
“The Dallas community is so proud of the lifesaving milestones DAS has achieved in the last year, and no one wants to move backwards,” said Webber. “Our team has not had to make the difficult decision to euthanize an adoptable pet due to a lack of kennel space in nearly 18-months, and we hope that the community will respond to this cry for help and ensure we can continue to save the lives of all placeable Dallas pets. If you are able to help in any capacity, now is the time.”
DAS is also in need of foster families to provide temporary care for medium and large dogs as well as orphaned kittens, with most foster cases lasting a few days to a few weeks. The DAS foster team will work with volunteers to select a pet that fits within their specific lifestyle, needs, and timeframe as well as provide necessary training and supplies. The foster application is available online at BeDallas90.org and DAS can fast track the onboarding and orientation process in order to get both dogs and kittens out of the shelter and into foster homes as quickly as possible.
“This rise in animal intake is not from an increase of COVID-19 pet returns as the world reopens; our adoption return rate has actually decreased,” said Webber. “An increase in animal intake is normal for spring and summer months. And while we have seen an increase in adoptions over the last two months, we are still lagging behind our adoption rate for 2020. If you’ve been on the fence about saving a life, now is the time to act.”
Potential adopters and fosters can visit BeDallas90.org to see available pets, adopt or apply to become a foster online, or find out more about in person adoption opportunities.
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