Texas Border Business
EDINBURG, TX – Adopters and fosters are urgently needed for dogs, cats, puppies, and kittens at Palm Valley Animal Society. The shelter is over capacity, with 860 dogs and 373 cats on site and dozens more expected to arrive this week.
The shelter is committed to providing life-saving care, comfort, and compassion to all pets they take in, but kennels and staff are stretched thin. They are fast approaching the point where they will be unable to provide a high level of care to incoming pets and will need to euthanize them in order to create space. To avoid this, they are asking the community for help.
Donna Casamento, Executive Director said, “We know the people in the RGV are there to help us in a crisis; they have shown this in the past. We are at a crisis point now and need help with adopters and fosters to help reduce the burden in our shelter. We have been fortunate to reach No-Kill status, but that status is in jeopardy with the mass influx of animals we are experiencing. We simply don’t have room for all of them. We need your help to adopt or foster an animal today. Every animal that is adopted or fostered allows us to save the life of another animal in need.”
Euthanizing animals is the shelter’s last approach. Since 2018, Palm Valley Animal Society has worked to lower euthanasia rates in Hidalgo County, and as recently as January 2021, had a 95% save rate for incoming animals. With an increased intake and decreased adoptions, the save rate at the shelter has dropped to 90.3%, and we are quickly moving toward the day when we will be below 90%, the rate that qualifies us as a no-kill shelter. We absolutely do not want this to happen. Can you help us?
There are so many great ways you can help!
1) Adopt. Adoption fees for dogs and cats are waived starting July 7th through our participation in The Bissell Empty the Shelters Adoption Event. Visit the shelter today or see available pets at https://www.pvastx.org
2) Foster. We need dog, cat, puppies, and kitten fosters for a minimum of 1 or 2 weeks or more in order to reduce the number of pets in the shelter. To become a foster, stop by PVAS today or sign up online athttps://www.pvastx.org/foster
3) Donate. We need extra supplies to care for pets in foster homes and we’d very much appreciate any help you can give. You can donate athttps://www.pvastx.org/donate and view our wish list athttps://tinyurl.com/pvaswishlist
4) Spread the word Please help us get the word out by engaging with our posts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!
The few days surrounding the 4th of July are when we have the largest number of animals coming into shelters. Fireworks are frightening for pets and they often run away because they are scared and can’t find their way back home. Following the 4th of July, many pets are now lost and searching for their homes.
If you find a lost pet, we ask that you first do what you can to find its owner. Most pets are found within a few blocks of home. Knock on some doors, and ask your neighbors if they recognize the pet. Stop by your local veterinarian or PVAS and check to see if it has a microchip. If so, you can be connected with the owner, and reunite them yourself. Post the pet on Petco Love Lost, a facial recognition website that helps pets find their way back home. If you are unable to locate the owner, we ask that you contact PVAS and make arrangements to foster it for a few days while we search for its owner, too. We will provide you with any supplies you may need and will even vaccinate the pet to ensure that when it does come to us, it is protected from any illness it may come in contact with at PVAS.
About Palm Valley Animal Society
Our mission: Palm Valley Animal Society will provide lifesaving care, comfort, and compassion to animals in need by engaging the hearts, hands, and minds of our community. PVAS’s goal is to save every animal that can be saved through progressive adoption, foster care, and rescue transfer programs. PVAS offers a number of additional programs designed to help pets in the shelter, in the community, and in your home, including volunteer, fee-reduction, and veterinary services programs. Stay connected: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @PVASTX
