WACO, Texas — Calling all animal lovers and those who have room in their heart to adopt or foster a pet. The Humane Society of Central Texas, also known as the Waco Animal Shelter, is full -- again.
According to shelter staffers, every time they get a lot of dogs out, even more come in.
The shelter has about 115 kennels and every single one is full. Now more dogs are being housed in the intake facility.
Staffers can't figure out why there are so many strays but it's not just them. The shelter's executive director Dr. Paula Rivadeneira told 6 News it is happening across the nation at other shelters and rescues.
Staff and volunteers are having to figure out how to make room. They're relying on Central Texans to either adopt or foster the animals, but to also stop bringing healthy animals to the shelter. They're asking people to help find lost pet's owners and only using the shelter as a partner and resource.
"Get the community to work with us on getting those stray animals home and helping our neighbors that nobody has to give up their dogs," said Rivadeneira. "I think that everything will be a lot smoother, we won't have kennels full of animals and we can really concentrate on the animals that need us most which is the sick and stray animals."
The very last option for the shelter is euthanizing. It's been over 15 months since they have had to discuss euthanizing, but every time they get full, they have to be prepared if the capacity gets way out of hand.
"We're just so proud of our no kill status and no kill means that at least 90 percent of animals leave here alive," Rivadeneira explained. "For us we've had several months of 97, 98 and 99 percent of dogs leaving here. The only animals that have been put down here are the sick and injured and we want to keep that up and the only way that we can do that is by having the community come on and help us."
They need to make room as soon as possible, so adoption fees are waived and fostering is completely free.
With fostering, you welcome the animal into your home until they can get adopted, but their expenses are paid for by the shelter.