Harris County Pets: Disaster Response and Recovery Grant Report
How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?
With funding support from the Petfinder Foundation, Harris County Pets was able to purchase supplies for our shelter. The purchase of a 500-gallon water tank, drum fans, and emergency-use flashlights serve to better equip our facility to recover from and withstand future emergencies.
In early 2021, Winter Storm Uri brought unusual extreme temperatures to southeast Texas and highlighted several areas of need for our staff and facility. With funding support from the Petfinder Foundation, Harris County Pets has been able to purchase a 500-gallon water tank, drum fans, and emergency-use flashlights to better equip our facility to withstand emergencies. These supplies will go a long way in ensuring a high standard of care for animals at our shelter during extreme weather events.
The water tank is immensely important for animal care, as it ensures our animals will have consistent access to potable water and provides a source of water for cleaning and disease-control purposes. As a large, municipal shelter which typically houses several hundred animals at a time, the importance of disease control cannot be overstated.
As southeast Texas prepares for hurricane season, we are thankful to know our facility is better prepared to provide care for our animals during future disasters.
How many pets did this grant help?
300-plus; we have more than 300 animals in our facility currently. For many years to come, the 15,000 – 20,000 animals we take in per year will continue to benefit from the safety net this grant has provided.
Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.
During the height of Winter Storm Uri, while the shelter remained closed to the public due to power outages and water concerns, we were contacted by a constable from Precinct 1 who had found a dog abandoned on a nearby toll road.
The found dog was a beautiful 8-year-old Chihuahua with a grey snout. The HCP staff who were at the shelter caring for our animals immediately took in this senior dog and warmed him up. Once he was warm and fed, he received medical treatment for a positive fecal evaluation showing hookworms and whipworms. On Feb. 23, just a week after coming to the shelter and on the very last day of his stray hold, this boy was adopted and went to his forever home.
HCP serves as a refuge for stray and abandoned animals in times of disaster. We are thankful to be better prepared to care for all the animals in their times of need, just as we did for this 8-year-old Chihuahua.
