Dallas Animal Services (DAS) is currently at capacity for animals. Kennels for medium and large dogs are completely full, according to NBC 5, and DAS is looking for new foster families to help create space. Adoptions are also being offered for free to encourage more people to adopt.
Adopters can go into the shelter and leave with their pets on the same day, NBC 5 reported. The entire process can be completed online, and pets can be picked up at the shelter.
However, DAS Director Melissa Webber said coming into a shelter location is the fastest way to get approved for adoption.
“If you would like to adopt, we encourage you to visit one of our locations in person today rather than apply online. The online process typically takes a few days to complete, and right now, every minute counts,” Webber told NBC 5.
Dallas Animal Services has its own primary shelter location and also hosts adoptions at PetSmart Charities Adoption Centers. All animals are microchipped, vaccinated, and spayed or neutered before adoption.
The shelter expects to see hundreds of animals every week, according to Webber.
“This is a crisis – we have over 375 dogs in our building and have run out of space to hold the medium and large dogs coming in,” she told NBC 5. “As an open-admission shelter, we can’t stop taking in pets. Despite our best efforts and most creative solutions, we are now out of options. We need the immediate help of the community to avoid heartbreaking decisions tomorrow.”
Dallas Animal Services is open every day of the week. The main shelter, located at 1818 North Westmoreland Road, Dallas, TX 75212, is open for in-person adoption:
Sundays: 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Mondays: 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Tuesdays: 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Wednesdays: 1:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Thursdays: 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Fridays: 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Saturdays: 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Other shelters in the area are also facing issues with overcapacity.
The Humane Society of North Texas announced on May 18 that it was at a “crisis point.”
In response, the shelter has been offering free adoptions for large and medium dogs over six months old at all of its metroplex locations except the Hurst Adoption Center.
“We consistently transfer pets by flight or truck to northern states who don’t struggle with pet overpopulation,” the Humane Society of North Texas explained. “We host offsite adoption events every weekend. We work with rescues and fosters to move pets from our shelters to their care. It simply isn’t enough to bear the overpopulation of homeless pets in Texas.”
To mitigate overcrowding, the SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) of Texas’ Jan Rees-Jones Animal Care Center offered a “Pick Your Pet’s Adoption Fee” event. For all adult animals throughout the second half of May, adoption fees between $0 and $25 were acceptable.
SPCA of Texas President and CEO Karen Froehlich said, “Right now is a pivotal moment for shelters across the entire country. The disruptions the pandemic caused in staffing has gotten a lot of attention; however, the backlog of animals that occurred in the last two years has caused the crisis we currently find ourselves in.”
Dallas Animal Services is encouraging adoptions and fostering to prevent the euthanasia of healthy animals. To facilitate quicker adoptions, the organization created a new system that works virtually or in person, fast-tracking the entire process.
