125 pets adopted at ‘Keep Austin Dogs Weird’ event

AUSTIN (KXAN) — In anticipation of the Fourth of July holiday, five animal shelters in Central Texas hosted a joint adoption event Saturday. A total of 125 animals were adopted.

The initiative was called “Keep Austin Dogs Weird”  and included Austin Pets Alive!, Austin Animal Center, Austin Humane Society, Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter and Georgetown Animal Shelter.

Concerns were raised since overcrowded shelters and record-breaking temperatures were creating uncomfortable conditions for the animals. Pets tend to run away from their homes after hearing the loud fireworks, so shelters worried about even more overflow.

Before the event, representatives from each shelter spoke publicly about their overcrowding issue.

“Recently, Georgetown was named the fastest growing city in the nation, and with that explosive growth comes an increase in the number of animals coming into our shelter. We are literally bursting at the seams,” Animal Care Supervisor for Georgetown Animal Shelter Melissa Sheldon said.

The shelters hoped for a large adoption number, so the City of Austin could retain a no-kill status.

The number of pets adopted Saturday helped to maintain that status. However, Austin Pets Alive! said in a release the shelters will always need people to adopt and foster.