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Surrendering a pet is often a last resort. It doesn't have to be.

The Harris County Animal Shelter offers alternative options to help keep people and their pets together.

Editor's note: Lucky was euthanized the day after this story was published.

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas – The doors to the Harris County Animal Shelter were locked when Jovi Bazal first arrived with his 3-year-old dog, a black-and-gold pit bull-boxer mix named Lucky, leaving Bazal anxiously waiting against a red brick wall as Lucky softly pants at his side.

It’s a bittersweet day for Bazal, who’s cared for Lucky since he was a puppy. Today marks the day, after much deliberation, that he’s chosen to let Lucky go. He has his reasons, of course—three years’ worth that leads to such a difficult decision. As Lucky has gotten older, Bazal said, Lucky has grown more destructive—tearing apart Bazal’s backyard, even going as far as destroying his mother’s garden. And then there’s the fence that Lucky learned to break through to roam the neighborhood.

Bazal said far too often he’s received a call from a neighbor while working that Lucky was out again. Though Lucky has always been a mild-mannered dog, Bazal worried about the consequences if Lucky one day snapped.

“I keep on fixing the fence—five times already—even though I’ve trained him,” Bazal said. “Honestly, even though I love him, it seems like he needs more attention.”

Credit: Provided by Jovi Bazal
A porition of Jovi Bazal's fence that he had to replace after his dog, Lucky, kept breaking through to roam the neighborhood.

Which led Bazal to the shelter.

The Harris County Animal Shelter is an open-access shelter, meaning it accepts all animals that come through its doors. On average, the shelter receives 60-80 new animals a day. This year alone, more than 3,000 pets were surrendered by owners, for reasons that vary.

“For some it is a very emotional decision, especially if they’re having a lifestyle change,” said Kerry McKeel, senior communication consultant for the shelter. “Some people may have felt like they’ve exhausted all their options.”

To curb those numbers, the shelter holds adoption days and works with volunteers who foster the animals. The shelter also partners with local non-profit organizations that transport animals out of state—to Colorado, Wisconsin, sometimes Canada—where stray populations are nearly non-existent and demand for pets is high.

Though those alternatives help, the issue of people surrendering their pets must be addressed here at home. Owners who do so without reason are taking up space for other animals in need of help, like the stray a man brought in with ragged gray hair, her ribs clearly visible and a waist that looked as if it had caved in near her back legs. When a shelter staff member put a bowl of water on the ground, she drank like it was her first drink in days.

That’s why when owners come in, McKeel said, the shelter tries to find other options that might help them. If they need food, the shelter can provide it. If the cost for care is an issue, the shelter offers low-cost vaccinations and spay/neuter. In the event an owner needs a temporary home for their pet, the shelter can work with their network of fosters.

Photos: Dogs and cats available for adoption at the Harris County Animal Shelter

The goal, McKeel said, is to try and keep pet and owner together.

But, she admits, there are situations where the best move for both is surrender.

Which Bazal feels is the case with Lucky.

Lucky has broken out too many times, Bazal said, and he doesn’t have the time to give Lucky the attention he deserves.

“You need to be with him 100 percent in a day,” Bazal said.

With a final pet, Bazal hands Lucky’s leash to the shelter staff.

“I don’t want to, but….” he said, not finishing his thought.

But his expression says what words don’t.

Follow Matt Keyser and Janelle Bludau on Twitter.

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