SAN ANGELO, Texas — After the storms hit this past week, there was an influx of animals coming into the San Angelo Animal Shelter putting it in an official crisis situation as all kennels are completely full.
Jenie Wilson, Concho Valley PAWS executive director, said having this influx is very unusual.
“Lightning and thunder spook animals. They can get on fences. Winds blow fenced down. And so it’s not uncommon for us to get lost pets come in during that time,” Wilson said
Additionally, she said the large amount of animals puts the shelter at risk and it's been a long time since they've been at absolute capacity. She said every adoption and foster creates space and in return, it saves lives.
“There are well over 200 dogs and 200 cats here right now,” Wilson said.
There is no fee to adopt for a three-day period, which began Thursday and will end Sunday. All one has to do is go through a matchmaking interview process to see if they are a good fit for one another.
In addition to adoption, Wilson said there is the temporary option of fostering.
“If you’re on the fences or not ready to adopt, or don’t want to pet entangle add another pet to your home, come and talk to us about fostering. It’s an incredible way to help. You give the pet a temporary home until we can find it a more permanent placement," Wilson said.
The shelter will also provide all the foster needs. They provide a kennel, food, treats, potty pads and other materials as part of the foster starter pack - whatever you need to be successful with fostering.
The shelter will continue to take animals who are stray, however they highly encourage you to do the best you can to unite the pet with their owner through resources such as helpmegethome.com and contact the animal shelter as a last resort.
“We do our be at to work with people because these pets are better in homes then in the shelter,” Wilson said.
All available adopted pets can be viewed at cbpaws.com. Additional information about fostering is available on the website and Facebook page, or via email at info@cvpaws.org.