Pauls Valley Animal Welfare officials are hoping a new tool rolled out last month by the Pauls Valley Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) will provide a little relief for county residents trying to find homes for animals in need.
The program—the PAWS Pet Placement Network—is intended to help Garvin County residents that live outside the city limits and are not eligible for municipal shelter services find homes for pets that need to be rehomed, strays, or abandoned animals.
Generally, municipal shelters, like the one in Pauls Valley, can only take in animals from within the city limits, according to Pauls Valley Animal Welfare Supervisor Chris Hurley.
At the same time, current state law only authorizes counties with a population of more than 200,000 people to be able to take measures to regulate dogs running at large, making a county animal shelter difficult and leaving a gap in animal control resources for many rural areas.
Hurley said animal welfare officials often hear the question, “If the shelter can’t take it, then who can?”
The answer, Hurley said, is literally no one.
“Your options are to keep it, leave it where it’s at, or take it to the veterinarian and see if they will euthanize it for you because it has no place to go.”
That’s where PAWS hopes the new Pet Placement Network will come into play.
“It provides a free resource to people that they didn’t have before,” Hurley said.
The program creates a process where people who have animals that are not eligible for surrender at a municipal shelter—either pets they can no longer care for or strays that show up on their porch or are abandoned near their property— can list those animals online with the Pet Placement Network and potentially get help finding them new homes.
“A lot of these people are already actively looking for homes, so maybe we can help expedite that process a little bit. We have a strong social media following. We get a lot of traction on our website. We’re involved with a lot of different rescue groups across the state,” Hurley said. By using the network’s online platform, the animals “get the same publicity, or exposure, as our shelter animals do.”
Pets listed through the placement network remain in the care of their current owner or finder while waiting for a connection with a potential adopter, providing a responsible alternative to surrender.
The arrangement is also better for the animals, according to Hurley, who said a home environment is always better for animals than a shelter, regardless of the shelter’s size and resources.
“It’s less stressful, and they stay healthier in a home environment. So that also kind of sparked the idea,” Hurley said.
The process includes a questionnaire for those wanting to rehome a pet, or place an animal, and Hurley said it’s important for pet owners to be honest about the situation and why rehoming or placement is needed.
“Things like that are what’s going to make the program successful,” Hurley said.
For those wanting to adopt a pet through the network, there is an application process similar to the shelter’s adoption application process that does include initial vetting for things that might be red flags for an unsuccessful adoption match.
Ultimately though, Hurley said, the final adoption decision rests with the pet owner.
“It’s still up to you to make that decision, make that connection, whatever your heart tells you. We’re just trying to facilitate.”
The program is currently open only to Garvin County animals in need, though adopters can be from anywhere. Hurley also stressed that placement through the network is not guaranteed, and the system is not intended for use by breeders, sellers or repeat litters.
The program works hand-in-hand with other programs the Pauls Valley Shelter already makes available to all county residents, including access to a pet food pantry for those experiencing financial hardships and monthly low-cost spay neuter clinics.
Hurley said together the programs also have the potential to help the Pauls Valley Shelter decrease its intake numbers as fewer animals are surrendered or abandoned within the city limits. If animal welfare can manage its intake numbers by offering support and resources to pet owners and those who find themselves helping stray or abandoned animals, Hurley said, it allows the shelter to maximize the resources it has available for animals who have truly emergent medical or shelter needs.
As the network gets off the ground, Hurley said he is keeping records on the cost to administer the program and statistics regarding the success rate, so PAWS can eventually share that information with other towns or counties that may want to try something similar.
“The goal is to make it a model that other towns or counties can pick up on.” Hurley said. “That’s the big vision.”
To find more information on the PAWS Pet Placement Network visit protectadoptlove.com/paws-pet-placement-network/.