BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – Aggieland Humane Society is sending more than 20 of its pups to find forever homes in the Pacific Northwest.
With recent overcrowding, transferring animals to other locations can be the difference between shelter life and a forever home for these good dogs. Aggieland Humane Society (AgHS) is helping out 20 to 30 Bryan-College Station dogs by sending them to organizations in Oregon and Washington.
“Traditionally at Aggieland Humane, we had a really robust transfer program that kind of dried up in the past two years,” said Katrina Ross, executive director at Aggieland Humane Society. “To be able to restart this and see pets go to the Pacific Northwest, where there are people lined up and waiting for the pets to get unloaded from the truck versus here in the Brazos Valley, where yes, we have fabulous adopters and we’re so thankful, but we have more pets than adopters.”
Nationwide animal overpopulation has caused a spike in crowded animal shelters, according to Shelter Animals Count.
Ross told KBTX Aggieland Humane Society is partnering with Street Dog Hero and the NOAH Center in the Pacific Northwest to create that transfer program and help capacity problems here at Aggieland Humane Society.
“It is a cycle, whether it’s because folks can’t afford veterinary care or they just don’t have access to it, or they don’t have access to high quality, low volume spay and neuter. We are continuing to see pets continue to be born and born,” Ross explained. “Very quickly, it can spiral out of control and become really hard to navigate.”
Shelter Animals Count, a nonprofit organization which collects statistics from shelters across the US, has recorded national overcrowding in shelters in recent years.
“It is not their fault that they ended up in the shelter” insisted Ross. “There’s nothing wrong with them and so there is such a great need to get those pets into great, loving homes. Whether that’s right here in the Brazos Valley or across the country, they are worthy and deserving of a loving family.”
The animals will be transferred in the Aggieland Humane Society van with kennels, a bed for the driver, storage for dog food, and other various necessities for a road trip with animals. AgHS even plans to update its followers along the way.
“We plan to leave on on or around August 27th to arrive in the Pacific Northwest about a week later,” Ross added. “We’ll post updates on our socials and on our stories to kind of track the progress. None of this would be possible without the generosity of the community, so we’re incredibly thankful to those that answered the call.”
The shelter will share updates along the road trip to their social media pages. That’s Aggieland Humane Society on Facebook and Aggieland Humane on X (formerly known as Twitter).
Aggieland Humane Society said it hopes the pups are able to find families in Oregon and continue the transfer program. In the meantime, AgHS encourages monetary donations via its online portal or shop its wishlist for physical donations you can buy online.
Throughout the month of August, the animal shelter is hosting a “Free Furry Fridays” program so that pets can be adopted at no additional cost to new pet parents.
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