PEARLAND, Texas — Christina Brown spent part of her Super Bowl Sunday hoping to score a new companion for her dog, Wilson.
“I feel they need to have somebody to play with besides just the owner,” Brown said.
She visited the Pearland Animal Shelter after seeing that adoptions are free through Valentine’s Day.
“There was something on Facebook that said adoption fees are waived,” Brown said. “So, I actually came in the next day.”
The shelter announced the measure last week as a way to reduce capacity.
“I’d say we’re constantly treading water just to stay afloat,” said Pearland Animal Shelter manager John Fischer.
The non-profit group “Pearland Pets” is covering the costs of free adoptions. That’s something the shelter would not be able to do on its own.
“We take in lots of dogs and cats every day,” Fischer said. “So, we’re pretty much at a critical spot right now. We need animals to go home, go to rescue, or go to foster.”
Fischer said one issue is that owned animals are coming in, but aren't being picked up by their owners. A relatively mild winter may have impacted breeding as well.
“I would not be surprised to see the few remaining kennels that we have filled up by this time tomorrow,” Fischer said.
He said those factors make the need for potential adopters like Brown even more crucial.
“I would take all of them if I could, but I know that I can’t,” Brown said.
The city of Pearland is working on replacing the current animal shelter with a facility three times as large.