Pet Reunion Pavilion opens for business

Reuniting pets affected by Hurricane Harvey with their families is the first priority for Best Friends and other organizations working in the area. To that end, we are proud to announce the opening of the Pet Reunion Pavilion at the NRG Arena in downtown Houston.

This massive operation, a collaboration between Best Friends, Harris County Public Health (HCPH) Animal Shelter and Houston Pet Set, has already helped facilitate reunions. Marmaduke escaped his yard in Houston at the worst possible time — two days into Harvey’s landfall. Thankfully, his owner never gave up looking for him, and we were able to get Marmaduke back home to his mom, Diana. You can read the full emotional story by clicking here.

The pavilion is not designed to accept stray pets from the public. If a lost pet is found, the recommendation is to first take the animal to the local shelter, the most likely place for a pet to be reunited with an owner. The Pet Reunion Pavilion will act as a hub for families to find their pets displaced by Hurricane Harvey.

People looking for Harvey-displaced pets are welcome to come to the NRG Arena between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. daily. Best Friends has an agreement with Harris County Animal Shelter to support a 30-day hold on animals coming in prior to September 19. Currently at NRG Arena, we are caring for nearly 500 animals displaced by the storm.

We’re so thankful for the tremendous amount of support from the animal rescue community, and of course you, the public, who are helping make all of this happen.

We’re still assessing the situation in Florida after Hurricane Irma’s landfall over the weekend. We’ll be updating you soon on the situation in Florida after we learn more.