Galveston County Animal Resource Center gives thanks for support Nov. 4-10 marks Animal Shelter Appreciation Week By: Amber Adams Animal Services Director,Animal Resource Center

By: Amber Adams Animal Services Director, Animal Resource Center

Saving lives is hard. We couldn’t do it without you. Animal Shelter Appreciation Week, recognized Nov. 4-10, isn’t just a chance to thank our incredibly dedicated staff, but also you, our community, volunteers, sponsors, donors and those who have and will adopt a pet or cat from our shelter and others.

When I say we couldn’t do this without you, I really do mean it. We receive such support from the community, whether it is residents helping us out by fostering an animal or those who come in on a regular basis to volunteer.

We so appreciate our volunteers. They take the dogs out for walks and in the yard to play, often giving our animals a break from shelter life. We’d love to have you come out and volunteer. You can attend volunteer orientation. Volunteers who are 18 years and younger need a guardian to attend orientation with them. Volunteers ages 16-18 may volunteer after orientation without a guardian while those younger than 16 need to have a guardian with them when volunteering.

It takes a special person to take an animal into their home until a permanent one can be found, especially when the pet needs medical care. That’s exactly what rescue groups do and they’re vital to our success. We also have several fosters in the community who take in a dog or cat for a day, week or longer, giving them a break from shelter life while helping us learn more about the animals temperament so that our staff is able to better place them in a forever home.

The biggest obstacle for any animal shelter is pet overpopulation. That’s why we’re so proud our adoption fee includes spay or neuter, in addition to rabies vaccination and a microchip. This means pets adopted from the ARC won’t have litters that end up in shelters. Sterilization can cost hundreds of dollars, so our $85 adoption fee is a bargain – and our frequent adoption specials are even a better value! Animal Alliance of Galveston County is a valuable partner in this effort.

Realizing your pet has escaped his home is terrifying. When this happens and one of our animal control officers pick up the animal, the goal is to find the owner and get the fur baby home. This is so much easier when the pet is micro chipped


We’re happy to offer these chips and required registration at our monthly low-cost pet vaccination clinic. Clinics include vaccinations as well as flea control and heart worm testing/ treatment services.

Not able to foster or adopt at this time? You can still help. Donating to our Sponsor a Heart fund gives long-term shelter animals a second chance by greatly reducing or completely doing away with adoption fees. Our Heal-A-Heart fund provides medical care to the homeless dogs and cats in our care. Every donation saves lives. Many dogs and cats need veterinary care for minor complications including skin infections, eye infections, respiratory illness, urinary infections and small wounds.

You can also:

• Adopt your next pet from a shelter;
  
• Volunteer;
  
• Be a responsible pet owner by spaying/ neutering your pet and ensuring your pet wears their collar and ID tags; and
  
• Donate needed supplies.
  

If you don’t follow the Galveston County Animal Resource Center on Facebook, please do. It’s our best way of communicating what animals we have up for adoption, any strays we pick up and needs we currently have with which you can help.

We encourage you to visit www.gchd.org/ARC, facebook.com/garcpets or call 409-948-2485 to learn more about the ARC and the many pets looking for homes. You’re always welcome to stop by the shelter, located at 3412 Loop 197 (25th Avenue North) in Texas City.

Happy Animal Shelter Appreciation Week and thank you for the support!

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Public Health Services · Coastal Health & Wellness · Emergency Medical Services · Animal Resource Center
The Galveston County Health District (GCHD) is the local public health agency for Galveston County, Texas.
GCHD provides services and programs that protect the everyday health and well-being of Galveston County.
P.O. Box 939 La Marque, Texas 77568 • (409) 938-7221
www.gchd.org