WASHINGTON, D.C. (7News) — The Humane Rescue Alliance (HRA) is continuing its goal to place at least 100 dogs into homes by the end of the year when the nonprofit downsizes from two shelters to one.
The nonprofit currently handles animal control through a contract with D.C. Health, but Brandywine Valley SPCA will be taking over that partnership and the shelter on New York Avenue come Jan. 1.
That leaves HRA to move all dogs to its shelter on Oglethorpe Street, which can hold up to 115 dogs, said Chief Operating Officer Kate Meghji. She said the New York Avenue location is fluctuating with around 75 dogs and those dogs are brought to the Oglethorpe location as space becomes available.
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“Every day, more dogs are coming into the shelter that needs to be helped as well,” she explained. “I could get a call in 20 minutes and find out that we're doing a large-scale impound for our humane law enforcement department. We could end up with an emergency where somebody's life has just turned upside down.”
From Tuesday to Saturday, 38 dogs were fostered and 20 were adopted, according to HRA.
But Meghji won’t breathe easy until every dog brought from New York Avenue finds a home. She has a backup plan of housing dogs in pop-up kennels at HRA’s offices and conference rooms if needed, though she said it wouldn’t be ideal.
“If you can give a dog a break from the shelter, even if it's just for a weekend or even if it's just for a week or two over the holiday season, you're going to be making a huge impact for everyone,” she said. “I'd like to keep the momentum going as much as possible, because if we exceed that 100 dog number, great – that's more dogs out of the shelter, making more space so that we can be there for emergencies and for situations that people can’t control.”
D.C. residents Rachel and Matt Haywood were among the people who became first-time foster parents Sunday to help out the cause. They’d previously talked about fostering after losing their beagle last year, who they had for 14 years.
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“This will be our first test to see if we want to foster more,” Rachel said. “We have a cat, so she might be a little nervous about that, but it'll be fun to have that loving energy back in our apartment again.”
Come Jan. 1, HRA will continue to handle cruelty and neglect cases, owner surrenders, and foster and volunteer opportunities, Meghji explained, while lost animals, strays, wildlife and dangerous animals will still be handled at the New York Avenue location through Brandywine Valley SPCA.
“Moving into the new year, our focus is going to be on preventing owner surrenders, increasing access to veterinary care, and making sure that the animals in our community who are victims of cruelty and neglect have a safe place to go,” Meghji said, adding they’re working to open a care clinic in Southeast D.C. to provide affordable veterinary services for those in need.
