SAN MARCOS — During National Pet Month, the San Marcos Regional Animal Shelter took the opportunity to share its current conditions and how community members can get involved. SMRAS is the stray animal open-intake facility for all of Hays County, explained community engagement coordinator Minnie Buckhaults, meaning that any animal within the county gets transported to the shelter, due to ongoing contracts with the animal control departments. Along with the responsibility of being the county intake shelter, the increasing amount of strays within the cities also causes overcrowding. Buckhaults described the lack of resources as the reasoning behind the high number of stray dogs and cats, citing lack of low cost spay and neuter, low cost vaccination and a general “lack of awareness from our community.” “We are trying to find as many positive outcomes for the animals that enter our facility, whether that be through adoption, transferring them to rescue partners, [etc.],” said Buckhaults. “We just want to get as many animals out [as we can]. A shelter is no place for an animal.” Part of this initiative is the creation of Space Force, a program within the shelter that aims to promote positive opportunities for the animals. “We make sure that anyone that hits the 30-day mark has a bio, they have new photos [and] they have notes that we can talk to a doctor about. And when they hit a 60-day mark, we will make sure that they’ve been on a Dog’s Day Out, that they’ve had a foster plea and a rescue plea. Then, we also identify dogs that may need a little help being advertised, more rescue pleas sent out, more time in the yards or medically checked out,” said Buckhaults. For example, a dog at the shelter named Candidia will be receiving a hospice plea due to the discovery of cancer. Veterinarians estimate she only has six months to a year left to live. Despite the efforts of the shelter, the 93 kennels are filled with more than 160 dogs, some of which are stationed in pop-up crates. During the interview, Buckhaults revealed the stacks of crates in her office filed with puppies, as the shelter is attempting to fill every space to accommodate the amount of dogs. When these numbers rise too high, the shelter has to unfortunately consult behaviorists to determine if any animals must be put on a euthanasia list. In early May, six dogs were planned with a deadline for Thursday, May 9. Prior to the list being posted on social media, three were picked up by rescues. Through various posts and tags from community members, two of the animals were adopted and the last, Jackson, left with a foster. “The only way we could operate is with community involvement,” said the coordinator. “Whereas our team has the one person reaching out to rescues over and over for Jackson, when the community adds their hundreds and hundreds of voices, it really makes a difference.” Buckhaults said that the communities, along with cities, are doing a lot in attempt to aid SMRAS. According to the coordinator, the city of San Marcos recently instated an ordinance which requires all animals to be microchipped in an effort to return dogs to their owners and prevent them from going missing. The city also required pet stores to provide animals from a shelter rather than a breeder if there is going to be an adoption event.
How to help a furry friend There are multiple ways to aid in an animal’s life at SMRAS. The first is through adoption. The shelter’s standard fee to adopt is $97, which includes microchips, up-to-date vaccinations and spay/neuter if they are age appropriate, as well as heartworm testing and treatment for dogs more than six months old. But Buckholts explained that due to the intense overcrowding, the fee has been lowered to $22 and even then, the fee is regularly waived and there are constant promotions in attempts to find homes for more pets. This month, SMRAS is working with Austin Pets Alive! and the Austin Humane Society to offer $10 adoptions through the end of May. She stated that all that is required to adopt a pet is a questionnaire, which is essentially just to gather contact information and as a way to gauge the potential adoptee’s lifestyle. This is because some animals may have a bite history or have specific environment recommendations. By learning more about the owner, staff can help recommend a pet that is fit for the home. Despite this, almost all adoptions can occur the same day and, most of the time, within an hour. SMRAS also offers a foster-to-adopt program. This means that any animal that has been in the shelter for more than 60 days can be taken home in the FTA program as a trial period prior to formal adoption as an incentive for those pets who have been at the shelter for a long period of time. Another option is fostering. This is when someone takes an animal from the shelter and helps them prepare for their forever home. It also provides an additional spot for another dog at the shelter. “We have a list of animals that are constantly looking for foster homes. So, most of the time that’s our heartworm positive dogs. Those are kittens that are too young to be at the shelter, puppies that are too young to be at the shelter, nursing dog and cat moms [and] dogs that have been here forever,” said Buckhaults. “Another big one is we have rescues that will be picking up dogs in a week, so we need fosters for that dog for a week just to get them out of the shelter [which] opens up a kennel. So, people that are even only able to foster a weekend, that really helps, too.” If taking in a pet is not an option, there is also Dog Days Out, which is a program designed to both give dogs an experience in the real world, as well as provide a mental health break for them. Community members over the age of 18 can pick up a dog for a day and take them on a hike, to a coffee shop to get a pup cup, etc. “We have a dog here named Puffy and she has had no attention. She’s had no adoption applications. We had a volunteer take her on a Dog’s Day Out, get pictures of her and suddenly someone’s interested because her pictures are in a flower field. And they connected with her because she’s smiling in the picture,” Buckhaults explained. “Puffy comes back relaxed. She’s not jumping in her kennel. She takes a nap. It’s just so important for decompression and the mental health of the animal just to get out for a little bit because the shelter is stressful.” All applications for any of the programs can be found on www.sanmarcostx.gov/208/San-Marcos-Regional-Animal-Shelter. The coordinator also explained that a big way to help is to call the shelter prior to dropping off an animal because, most of the time, they can find placement and help an animal without it ever entering SMRAS. “Getting an animal from the shelter, not only are you helping save their life, but you’re also helping save the life of the animal that fills that kennel,” stressed Buckhaults. “For people that do already have animals, just know that there are so many resources in place to keep your animal in the home with you. There’s organizations that will help pay your deposit for your apartment if you are having trouble with that. There’s pet food pantries all over Hays County. There’s even organizations that will help you temporarily foster your animals should you be getting deployed or have a recent hospital stay.” For more information, community members can visit the SMRAS website or the shelter located at 750 River Road, San Marcos.
Most Popular
Comments / 0