CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Cuddly, warm, and sweet. Cats and dogs are man's best friend.
Holly Sizemore at Best Friend Animal Society said they're on the path to create change at every animal shelter.
"It’s really about giving our shelters the resources they need to help those savable pets because a lot of times shelters have to make these horrible decisions,” Sizemore said.
According to Best Friend Animal Society in 2022, Texas euthanized almost 69,000 animals.
"The numbers of dogs being killed in shelters went up for the first time in many years," Sizemore said. "And it’s not because we saw way more dogs coming in but because people weren't adopting like they were previously."
The issue Sizemore was referring to was that people are choosing to buy pets instead of adopting from shelters.
But at shelters like Gulf Coast Humane Society, there are several pets ready to find a permanent home.
"We have the percentage of 99.4 as no kill shelter and it's quite a high number. the .6 percent that are left over are not euthanized but for medical reasons only,” Paola Jaramirlo said.
Jaramirlo is a veterinary technician at the Gulf Coast Humane Society.
She said that even though they are currently at 100 animals over the limit that they can house, euthanasia has never an option for them. Instead, they will do everything they can to get these animals adopted, fostered or transported to a nearby shelter.
“I think that now is the perfect time because there are a lot of people who are available and are on vacation. It will help us a lot to be able to help us with this,” Jaramirlo said.
To help end the euthanasia crisis in Texas, be sure to visit local shelters and consider adopting or fostering.
"It’s going to take community members to say I'll foster a little kitten or two,” Sizemore said.
