The July Fourth holiday is historically one of the busiest times for El Paso Animal Services, and this year is no different.
From July 3 to the morning of July 5, 188 animals entered the Animal Services Center; many found roaming the streets during and after the holiday festivities. As a result of the high intake, the department is asking the community to help them alleviate the crowded kennels of the shelter.
The recent influx in intake has even resulted in Animal Services planning for an emergency shelter located at 9060 Socorro Road.
In an effort to reconnect as many lost pets as possible, Animal Services will be waiving impoundment fees ($60 per dog/cat) for any animal picked up by their owner. Daily handling fees will also be waived. Fees will be waived the entire month of July.
Waived fees do not include quarantine animals. Fees still apply for licensing services ($12.50). In addition, the Center will stay open later for pet reclaims and adoptions only, July 5 through July 12.
“Oftentimes when a pet wanders away, they did not walk too far from their home. With this in mind, we encourage the public to help us reconnect these lost pets with their owners. During this time, a finder should take photos and create flyers, posting them around their neighborhood and online,” Animal Service officials shared via an email release. ”
El Paso has several Facebook community pages solely for lost and found pets, and we suggest placing found and lost pet information on each one of these Facebook pages.”
Finders should also remember that all El Paso fire stations are now equipped with microchip readers. This provides residents an easy way to scan a lost pet for a microchip, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Becoming a “no-kill” city is definitely a community effort, and the department encourages the entire El Paso region to lend a helping hand by assisting Animal Services by volunteering at the Animal Services Center located at 5001 Fred Wilson and at the emergency shelter.
For residents wanting to help, fostering is an effective way of clearing the kennels during the peak intake season. Being a foster is completely free and Animal Services provides all the food, supplies, and veterinarian care. Fosters are typically asked to care for an animal for a period of two-to-six weeks.
For more information on how you can help, visit www.elpasoanimalservices.org for details.
