Unless they’re adopted or fostered, dogs at local shelter could be euthanized

WACO, Texas (KWTX) - About 140 dogs are now housed at the Waco Animal Shelter, some of which have been there since March, and if residents don’t start adopting or fostering the animals, some may have to be euthanized, Humane Society of Central Texas Executive Director Paula Rivadeneira said Friday,

For a while, Rivadeneira said the number of dogs coming into the shelter, most of them as strays, exceeded the number residents were adopting.

“It’s just a matter of us having so many animals here, we don’t want to make any difficult decisions about animals having to be put to sleep because of space,” Rivadeneira said.

“Because that’s ridiculous.”

Rivadeneira said fostering dogs is a good option for people who are unable to make the commitment of adopting a dog.

Even fostering for a just week is helpful for the shelter.

“That gives that animal time out of the shelter, time to decompress,” Rivadeneira said.

“Some animals only need a week, because maybe they’re going to a rescue in a week, or they’re getting spayed or neutered and they’re going to be adopted.”

The shelter said over the last few months, it has had a 99% live exit rate, and the staff wants to keep that.

Information about fostering and adopting dogs is available on the humane society website.

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