Texas Humane Network’s Post

Unlock the secrets to dog training: Consistency is the key to success! 🐾 Like and follow for more responsible dog ownership tips. Your furry friend (and full animal shelters) thank you! Wondering why we're posting info about dog training? Because at Team Reba, besides being a rockstar real estate team, we are BIG animal advocates! From every sale we complete, we donate $500 towards animal rescue programs in WA, CA, (and more states at times) and the Philippines so that we make a difference locally, nationally and internationally. It's our goal to help stem the tide of dogs being dumped into shelters, and that starts with responsible dog ownership, including training your dog. Want to help? Refer your friends who need real estate services, AND help share these tips! THANK YOU! #TeamReba #DogTraining #ConsistencyIsKey #ResponsibleOwnership

I volunteer in animal rescue. Along with fostering, I spend over $2k a year caring for a local colony (not including spay/neuter and vet fees). I am one of many but we can only do so much. Some animals die in abusive homes, some on the streets, and some in shelters. A lucky few are adopted. If you own a business, partner with your local shelters. Cats are great pest control and hey, donations are a tax deduction. Like to be active? Take a shelter dog out for your run. Bake some dog treats. Craft a few toys. Hell, give those carrots you bought for Santa's reindeer to some real, hungry animals. There are more animals in need of homes than there are people wanting to adopt. If you do nothing else, please get your pets fixed and encourage those you know to do the same. You will save so many lives by doing so. #animalwelfare #animalhealth #makeadifference #makeanimpact #foster #adoption #communityengagement #communitydevelopment

More ways to reduce the number of euthanized dogs: Professional dog training. Lorenzo's Dog Training Team is dedicated to keeping dogs out of shelters and in safe and happy homes. Before making the decision of taking or returning a dog to the shelter, please seek the help of a professional dog trainer.

A shocking statistic out of the US. If anyone needed reminding that the companion animal adoption boom is over. Anyone breeding puppies right now should be taking note, and taking responsibility that they have adopters lined up. It is a tragedy how many animals are in the animal shelter system (and how much time and energy good people spend on these animals) because of a myriad of issues. Issues can include lack of thought at adoption, unethical (over)breeding, lack of desexing, lack of identification, or poor socialisation which means animals are relinquished to shelters. But let's try and give a positive spin! What a great opportunity to raise awareness about how to adopt, to advocate for better standards of breeding, to encourage desexing and microchipping and to endorse better training. Little by little, we aim to improve the culture of pet 'ownership' and raise the standard of animals lives so that they all live A Good Life. Let's hope for a positive 2024!!

Here is the sad reality of dog shelters; they need to euthanize for space. It's a sad fact that people need to understand. Why are we blaming shelters? WE are the one's to blame! If they have room for 100 dogs, and they have 150, what do you actually think is going to be the solution? The only immediate solution is that you build them a larger facility. Shelters would not be necessary, except for us. **the irresponsible owners dumping their dogs **backyard breeders **people that don't spay and neuter their animals. **everyone but the shelter So, either build them a larger building, or go and spend time with these dogs. Volunteer, or you are part of the problem.

I absolutely support your comments about this post. Those “keyboard warriors” have quite a lot to say and little to no action behind their words. For those of us who work in open admission shelters, most often there is no worse outcome than euthanasia and that sacred, end of life act is carried out with a heavy heart each time regardless of circumstances. Advocates of the “no-kill” movement cleverly advocate for saving every animal’s life through gaslighting techniques painted to advertise to the lifesaving rescues they have performed. Don’t get me wrong- there are rescues out there who identify as “no-kill” and perform amazing work helping animals. But a vast majority of those advocate leaders work for or support companies that are not obligated open admission shelters. Instead, they are allowed to cherry pick the animals that come into their care and bash other open admission shelter who are just trying to do their best with what they have. To back this up, the best funded open admission shelters receive approximately 1% of a city’s or county’s overall budget and a greater majority of city or county funded open admission shelters receive approximately 0.5% of general funds. Let’s imagine the reality of an open admission shelter: Animal Protection Officers seize 80 cats from a hoarding house. Regardless of the health of the cats, they are required to intake each an every one of them. Now imagine that 50% of them have an incurable disease or are simply too sick to recover and so half of them have to be euthanized while the other 40 cats recover and are adopted out. Based on that statistic alone, that shelter then has a 50% live release rate which would be admonished among the no-kill advocates. That’s insane. It would be a great relief to see the public foster or adopt more shelter animals and those “no-kill” advocates financially contribute to amen a change they desire to see in live release rates. To simplify what I said, they need to put their money where their mouth is instead of demanding change with no funds or resources to back that change we all desire. What is more distressing is that there are no statistics for those companies that turn away animals in desperate need of veterinary care or sheltering such as Best Friends Animal Society. Open admission shelters are required to intake any animal for any reason regardless of their health status or ownership with no surrender fee. Animal welfare workers and advocates have too many other battles to fight and shouldn’t be arguing and creating rifts amongst each other. We all have a common goal in mind: to save as many animals as possible. It isn’t just about how many lives we safe; it’s also how we get there that matters.

Losing a beloved pet can be a heart-wrenching experience, filled with worry, uncertainty, and fear. But on this special day, we come together as a community to offer support, resources, and hope to those who are searching for their missing companions. Whether it's sharing photos and descriptions on social media, posting flyers in the neighborhood, or volunteering with local animal shelters and rescue organizations, every effort counts in bringing lost dogs back home where they belong. 🏡💕 So let's come together on National Lost Dog Awareness Day to raise awareness, share resources, and show our support for all those who are missing a furry friend. Whether you're a pet owner, an animal lover, or simply someone who wants to make a difference, your kindness and compassion can help bring hope and healing to those in need. 🌈🐾 Share your stories of lost dogs who have been found, tips for preventing lost pets, or words of encouragement for those searching for their furry friends in the comments below. #LostDogAwarenessDay #SpreadHopeAndLove #CommunitySupport #Pets #PetLovers

It is essential that the public understand what is going on across the nation. When live outcomes decrease, the "keyboard warriors" tend to start blaming their local shelter and its employees/volunteers. While it is important to hold people accountable, it is just as important to understand that most of them are doing the best they can with what they've got. Times are hard. When you find out your local animal shelter has started euthanizing again for space, take a breath before you write that angry post or letter. Chances are the people at the shelter are just as devastated and furious (or more) about the situation. After you have taken that breath, look and see how you can help. Can you foster? Can you adopt? Can you use your social media presence to promote animals for adoption? Can you clean cages or do laundry? Can you bring the staff lunch? Or can you use your voice to advocate for better funding or programs? The issues that lead to euthanasia in shelters come from deep within a community and cannot be solved inside the shelter alone. If your local shelter has started euthanizing and that upsets you, step away from the keyboard and do something about it (unless that something involves the keyboard!).

In order to understand the overcrowding animal shelter epidemic, it's important to understand the difference between a rescue and an open county shelter. In general, an open county shelter is required to take every dog. Rescues are not. So every stray dog, and every owner surrender is taken into the shelter (yes, some do close open enrollment in crisis). Does that help to understand why shelters are overcrowded and euthanize for space? For me, there's a VERY sad difference. In a rescue, I generally have the luxury of time to help a dog. In a shelter, I do not have that luxury;-( I hope this helps.

While catching up on this year's National Dog Show, I was thrilled to see they had recognized the Women's Animal Center (https://lnkd.in/eAh5bzUg) for their work with survivors of domestic violence! While shelters are required to take in service animals, many survivors are told they must leave their pets, which can exacerbate feelings of grief, loneliness, and isolation during a tumultuous time. Please note pet cleaning is costly and behavior can be unpredictable. I do not fault shelters who do not have the capacity to take in pets. Rather, I wish to bring awareness to the issue so that we can be better equipped to help when needed! If you or a loved one are facing DV issues, or if you would like to find a place to help out, please see the below resources. National DV Hotline: 1-800-799-7233 Search for pet-friendly shelters near you: https://lnkd.in/evjriVu7 List of shelters accepting family pets by state: https://lnkd.in/epD5zZ5S List of more specialized DV resources (children, homelessness, etc.): https://lnkd.in/e-hE-jEM