Shelters team up to send nearly 1,000 pets home

Sometimes it’s all about being in the right place at the right time. Just ask Diesel, a 4-year-old dog (who appears to be part cow) who found himself at the Humble Animal Shelter in Humble, Texas. After many months at the shelter, he still hadn’t met his match. But Diesel’s family was out there — they just needed to cross paths.

For the second year in a row, Best Friends co-sponsored the Petco Love Mega Adoption Event in Houston, which took place at the NRG Arena. For one weekend, people could meet more than 1,000 adoptable pets from the Greater Houston area and across Texas. The annual event is an opportunity for shelters and rescue groups to showcase their animals to potential adopters who might not have seen them otherwise. Best Friends’ goal is for all shelters to reach no-kill, and that means working together with other animal welfare organizations on initiatives like this that save pets’ lives.

Every pet in the arena was ready to go home that day, meaning they were spayed or neutered and vaccinated. But getting more than 1,000 cats and dogs squared away is easier said than done.

[Super adoption success: More than 200 pets head home]

“So many of our partners in the Greater Houston area and beyond don't have access to even some of the most fundamental things, like lifesaving supplies or vaccines, or they might not have the ability to get a pet spayed or neutered affordably,” says Sophia Proler, Best Friends South Central regional director.

And then there’s the logistics. To participate in the mega adoption event, organizations had to transport their pets to the venue, some driving hundreds of miles to get there. They also had to find extra staff or volunteers to work the weekend, caring for pets and walking people through the adoption process.

Best Friends wanted to empower more shelters to bring their adoptable pets to the event. So a team of 25 Best Friends staff members, volunteers, and veterinarians started working three months in advance to plan and prepare. They provided vet care and spay and neuter surgeries to more than 260 pets from partner organizations. (Our friend Diesel was neutered and vaccinated by Best Friends when he first arrived at the shelter.)

On the eve of the event, six Best Friends vehicles set out for shelters around the area. The transport team loaded up dozens of cats and dogs, including Diesel, and delivered them safely to the arena. Several shelters didn’t have staff to spare for the weekend, so Best Friends team members filled those roles — helping set up booths, walking dogs, scooping kitty litter boxes, and processing adoptions on behalf of the shelters.

[Empty trucks return to shelters after Best Friends Super Adoption]

After the event, the teamwork continued to support pets who weren’t adopted. For instance, El Paso Animal Services staff had driven a bus for 13 hours with 70 pets on board to attend. Petco Love, Best Friends, and an anonymous donor teamed up to offer stipends to organizations that took El Paso pets into their care, so they wouldn’t have to make the long trip back. Several other organizations along the route home also stepped up to take in animals, meaning very few ended up back at the shelter. Meanwhile, Best Friends took in 23 cats from shelter partners who didn’t meet their matches at the event. Many of those kitties have since been adopted.

By the end of the whirlwind weekend, 969 cats and dogs were adopted into homes, including 28 pets from Best Friends in Houston. “We always leave with a good feeling after this event,” says Michael Barnes, Best Friends transport coordinator.

“It’s a really good morale booster for the animal welfare community, too,” adds Sophia, calling the mega adoption event “a true work of unity” that Best Friends is proud to support.

One success story came from the Katy Animal Shelter in Katy, Texas, which received vet care and transportation so their pets could attend. “They were ecstatic,” says Michael. “They ended up adopting out all of their pets except for one.” With their load lightened, the shelter could devote more time, space, and resources to finding a home for that pet and future pets who come through their doors.

As for Diesel? This handsome guy charmed a family and was adopted on the spot. After months at the shelter, he’s now living his best life in a home of his own. There’s someone for every pet, and sometimes being in the right place at the right time is all it takes for families to come together. Happy endings like Diesel’s are what make everyone’s efforts worthwhile.

Our goal at Best Friends is to support all animal shelters in the U.S. in reaching no-kill. No-kill means saving every dog and cat in a shelter who can be saved, accounting for community safety and good quality of life for pets. 

Shelter staff can’t do it alone. Saving animals in shelters is everyone’s responsibility, and it takes support and participation from the community. No-kill is possible when we work together thoughtfully, honestly, and collaboratively.