New Temple organization to introduce social services to lower animal shelter intake numbers

TEMPLE, Texas (KWTX) - The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals reports that every year about 6.3 million cats and dogs enter animal shelters across the country. But a new organization right here at home is working to reduce those numbers by adding some new social services programs.

On the first Tuesday of every month you’ll find the Human-Animal Support Coalition gathered at the Camino Real Mexican Restaurant in Temple.

“This is community helping community, neighbors helping neighbors and keeping pets in homes and out of animal shelters,” founder Amy Dixon said.

The group is discussing ways to reduce the intake numbers at the Bell County Animal Shelter and Temple’s Heart to Home Animal Adoption Center.

“Our working groups are even more concentrated, anywhere from 5 to 10 people, which really lets you do a lot of work,” Amy said.

In the past five years, the Bell County Animal Shelter has seen a total of 3,137 cat and dog intakes per year on average. In that same time period the Heart to Home Animal Adoption Center has seen a total of 3,053 cat and dog intakes per year on average.

”No longer are animal shelters just pounds where we round up animals and kill them,” Amy said. “It’s a community wide effort to save lives.”Amy has people from all walks of life on her team, and she needs more people to get involved.

”Whether you’re an attorney or just someone who loves animals and wants to spend time with them and make sure they find a place, I think there’s a place either way,” Amy’s husband and coalition volunteer Matthew Dixon said.

The coalition has teamed up with Helping Hands Ministry to get pet food to low-income families.

”We’re doing the pet food initiative where we’re trying to build a decent amount of supplies to get pet food to people who can’t necessarily afford it to sustain their animals,” Matthew said.

The coalition also partnered with Temple Christian Outreach to get leashes and collars in the hands of people who can’t afford them.

”We’re going to be setting up donation stations around town, so we can collect new and gently used collars and leashes,” Amy said. “That way we can get people without homes with pets get basic supplies.”

All three of these programs are meant to preserve the bond of the human and the animal and keep animals out of shelters.

“Over 80% of people who surrender their pets don’t want to, so I would love for everyone to be able to have the option to keep the pet in the home it is already in,” Amy said.

Anyone interested in learning more about volunteer opportunities can email the coalition at HASCoalition24@gmail.com to join the email list.