DAS put out a press release ahead of the Fourth of July holiday weekend saying it was over capacity, especially for large dogs, and needed help from the public. The city agency has to euthanize animals when it runs out of space, so it routinely ask people to adopt or foster when the shelter exceeds capacity.
In the press release, DAS said it was offering gift cards and veterinary vouchers while supplies lasted and waiving the adoption fee for all pets. The pets also come spayed/neutered, vaccinated and microchipped.
Amanda Atwell, a spokesperson for DAS, told the Observer that the shelter is better shape compared with earlier this month but that it still needs residents to adopt. The agency has run out of gift cards, but the adoption fees are still waived and pets still come with a voucher for a free veterinary visit.
The shelter takes in from 60 to 100 animals each day. In 2018, DAS launched an effort called BeDallas90 with the goal of guiding a majority of those pets to favorable outcomes and reaching a live release rate of at least 90%. That means at least 90% of the animals found a new home and weren't killed.
DAS reached this goal in 2020, but it is currently lagging behind that figure. So far this year, it has reached a live release rate of only 76%.
Atwell said the shelter has been as much as 40% over its dog capacity since early June, with the bulk of them being large dogs. She said rescues and shelters across the country are in a similar situation with their large-dog populations. Just last month, Operation Kindness in Carrollton temporarily slashed its adoption fee from $205 to $99 for dogs weighing over 40 pounds to encourage people to adopt larger dogs through June.“Unfortunately when our numbers are this high, we are forced to make some difficult decisions.” – Amanda Atwell, Dallas Animal Services
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A few weeks ago, DAS was almost at 100% capacity for cats, but has since been able to bring that number down to 33% with the help of adoptions, fosters and rescues. “Being over capacity puts a strain on shelter staff as well as the animals in our care,” Atwell said. “Unfortunately when our numbers are this high, we are forced to make some difficult decisions.”
By difficult decisions, she means euthanizing animals.
She said DAS works to mitigate capacity issues by pushing for more adoptions, fosters and rescue placements. Over the last week, the shelter was poised to have more placements than intakes, but it saw a particularly high intake day on Sunday, when it received 70 dogs.
“A couple days with this level of intake can drastically set back our efforts to get the shelter back under full capacity, while simultaneously working towards our goal of BeDallas90,” Atwell said. “We continue to encourage the public to be a part of the solution with us, and adopt, foster, volunteer or donate if you can.”
Adoptable pets can be viewed online or in person, and adoptions can be completed at the DAS main shelter at 1818 N. Westmoreland Road. The shelter is open between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday; from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, and from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
