Houston mega pet adoption event: 14 shelters, rescues participating – Houston Chronicle

More than 1,000 adoptable dogs and cats will be available for just a $25 adoption fee at a mega adoption event slated for Nov. 9 and 10 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in downtown Houston. (Photo is from a past event.)
Houston will play host to a mega pet adoption event at George R. Brown Convention Center this weekend to combat the city’s escalating animal welfare crisis.
More than 1,000 rescue cats, kittens, puppies and dogs from at least 14 shelters and rescues will be looking for new homes at the event, which runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sept. 3-4 at the convention center (1001 Avenida De Las Americas). Fast passes are available for $50 and allow early entry at 9 a.m. Saturday, according to a release.
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Adoption fees are $35 and include vaccinations, microchipping, and spay or neuter services. Petco Love and BOBS from Skechers are hosting the event, which animal welfare organizations say is critically needed due to skyrocketing intake numbers at local shelters, declining adoptions and swamped rescues that have had to stop taking in animals. 
Houston is hosting a mega pet adoption event at George R. Brown Convention Center this weekend with $35 adoption fees for more than 1,000 rescue pets. (Photo is from a past event.)
Many of Houston’s animal shelters have been operating above critical capacity levels for months, which have worsened with staffing shortages and the lingering effects of pandemic pet returns as more residents return to a pre-COVID lifestyle. 
“Without community support through fostering and adoption, happy, healthy pets face euthanasia in Houston and across the country,” Petco Love said in the release.
Texas was the No. 1 state for shelter pet euthanasia in the country in 2020 and 2021, up from the No. 2 spot in 2019, according to a report from animal welfare organization Best Friends Animal Society. Nearly 61,245 dogs and cats were killed in animal shelters across Texas in 2021. The report also found that the crisis of shelter euthanasia is escalating nationally and threatens the progress animal advocates have labored over the past several years. 
Similar mega adoption events in cities like Dallas have resulted in more than 38,000 adoptions, per the release. Petco Love hopes to hit 40,000 adoptions by the end of Sunday. 
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“When you walk through the doors you feel the excitement and anticipation because, by the end of the day, the lives of so many pets and people are about to change and all for the better,” Petco Love president Susanne Kogut said. “And there’s also the joy felt by the dedicated shelter workers who work tirelessly to save these pets.” 
Anyone interested in adopting should bring a carrier for a cat and a leash and collar for a dog. These items will also be available for purchase at the event. 
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Rebecca Hennes is the metro web producer for the Houston Chronicle. 
A Houston native, Rebecca graduated from the University of Houston Honors College in 2016 with a bachelor’s in print journalism and later joined the Chronicle in 2018. 
When she is not writing about dogs or animal welfare, she covers anything Houston-related, including crime, entertainment, education and politics. She can be reached by email at [email protected] or by Twitter: @beccaghennes
 
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